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NATIONAL NEWS

Trump plans to pardon ex-Puerto Rico Gov. Vázquez on campaign finance violation charge: official

Jan 16, 2026, 9:44 AM

FILE - Governor Wanda Vázquez speaks at a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 21, 2020....

FILE - Governor Wanda Vázquez speaks at a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)

Associated Press's Profile Picture

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House official says President Donald Trump plans to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez.

Vázquez pleaded guilty last August to a campaign finance violation in a federal case that authorities say also involved a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker. Her sentencing was set for later this month.

Federal prosecutors had been seeking one year behind bars. The official who confirmed the planned pardon wasn’t authorized to reveal the news by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity Friday.

Vázquez, an attorney, was the U.S. territory’s first former governor to plead guilty to a crime, specifically accepting a donation from a foreigner for her 2020 political campaign.

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