MaddowBlog-How a round of golf led to one of Trump's most bizarre pardons [View all]

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Why did the president derail a corruption case filed by his own Justice Department? It started with a chat on a golf course with a Fox News host.

How a round of golf led to one of Trump’s most bizarre pardons - MS NOW

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— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-12-08T17:28:19.303Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/how-a-round-of-golf-led-to-one-of-trumps-most-bizarre-pardons

A New York Times report on the developments added, “The White House did not immediately respond to a question on Wednesday about why Mr. Trump had pardoned someone who was prosecuted by his own administration.”

The underlying questions lingered, however, and The Wall Street Journal reported on the apparent answer:

Trump decided on the pardon after Republican former Rep. Trey Gowdy raised the case with him following a round of golf, according to people familiar with the matter. Leiweke had faced charges of rigging the bid for a $375 million basketball arena that was later built for the University of Texas. He had pleaded not guilty.

While the Journal’s report has not been independently verified by MS NOW, Gowdy, who became a Fox News host after stepping down from Congress in 2019, effectively confirmed the reporting, telling the paper on the record that he played a round of golf with the president on Nov. 16, at which point Trump asked Gowdy if there was anything he needed. The former Republican congressman brought up his client, Leiweke, arguing that he’d been treated unfairly.....

I continue to believe this is one of the most laughable claims Leavitt has ever made, and the circumstances surrounding the Leiweke pardon make clear that in this administration, “pardons” and “utmost seriousness” clearly do not belong in the same sentence.

The Journal’s report on this case noted that prosecutors from Trump’s own administration had granted immunity to Leiweke’s partners to focus specifically on Leiweke. Instead, thanks to the president, prosecutors are walking away empty-handed in “the only criminal case targeting how the live-events industry works.”