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Former Rep. Chris Collins among 15 people pardoned by Pres. Trump

Former Western NY Rep. Chris Collins
cspan.org
Former Western NY Rep. Chris Collins

WASHINGTON (AP & WXXI News)  President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned 15 people, including former Western New York Congressman Chris Collins.

The pardons included Republican allies, a 2016 campaign official ensnared in the Russia probe and former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad.

The pardons included Collins and another former Republican Rep., Duncan Hunter of California.

Collins, the first member of Congress to endorse Trump to be president, was sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison after admitting he helped his son and others dodge $800,000 in stock market losses when he learned that a drug trial by a small pharmaceutical company had failed.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows that Chris Collins was released from prison on Tuesday.

Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing campaign funds and spending the money on everything from outings with friends to his daughter’s birthday party.

Here is the full statement about the pardon of Chris Collins from the White House website:

“Today, President Trump granted a full pardon to Chris Collins, at the request of many Members of Congress.

Mr. Collins served in Congress for nearly seven years, representing the people of Western New York from 2013 to 2019.  Mr. Collins spent his early career as a successful businessman and entrepreneur, before devoting his life to public service.  In 2007, Mr. Collins was elected County Executive for Erie County, New York, a position he held for one four-year term, and in 2012 the people of New York’s 27th congressional district elected Mr. Collins to the U.S. House of Representatives.  He was subsequently re-elected to this seat three times.  During his tenure in Congress, Mr. Collins was known for his particular focus on the wellbeing of small businesses, agriculture, and sciences.

In 2019, Mr. Collins pled guilty to the charges of conspiring to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI.  Mr. Collins is currently serving his 26-month sentence.”

Congressman Tom Reed, a Republican from the Southern Tier, released this statement on the pardon:

“The President has the right to grant this pardon. The Collins family has paid a price for Chris’ transgressions and justice has been served.”

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.