National

President Trump’s pardons and commutations

The White House announced Tuesday that President Trump has pardoned Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven Hammond, the two Oregon cattle ranchers in prison for starting two fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands. The incident fed anger among some western ranchers against federal control of grazing land and gave rise to the "sovereign citizens" movement. That later led to the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

In his 537 days in office, Trump has pardoned seven people and commuted the prison sentences of two others, one posthumously. A look those with pardons or commuted sentences:

Joe Arpaio

What: Pardon

When: Aug. 25, 2017

Details: Former Arizona sheriff guilty of violating court order to stop racially profiling Latinos. Arpaio was awaiting sentencing when his pardon was issued.

Sholom Rubashkin

What: Commutation

When: Dec. 20, 2017

Details: Trump commuted a 27-year prison sentence for Rubashkin, who was convicted in 2009 of federal bank fraud. Rubashkin served eight years.

Kristian Saucier

What: Pardon

When: March 9, 2018

Details: Saucier is a former Navy sailor who photographed classified area inside a U.S. nuclear submarine in 2009. He pleaded guilty to security violations and served one year in prison.

Lewis “Scooter” Libby

What: Pardon

When: April 13, 2018

Details: Libby is a former Bush administration official who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in March 2007 in the case of Valerie Plame, who was outed as a covert CIA agent. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison. President George W. Bush commuted the sentence in July 2007.

Jack Johnson

What: Posthumous pardon

When: May 24, 2018

Details: A posthumous pardon was given to Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion, who was convicted in 1913 of violating the Jim Crow-era White Slave Act by transporting a white woman across state lines. Johnson died in 1946.

Dinesh D’Souza

What: Pardon

When: May 31, 2018

Details: D'Souza, a conservative author and filmmaker, was convicted in 2014 of campaign-finance fraud in connection with donations to a Republican Senate candidate in New York.

Alice Marie Johnson

What: Commutation

When: June 6, 2018

Details: Trump commuted the sentence of Johnson, 63, who was serving a life sentence in prison since 1996 for cocaine distribution and money laundering. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian urged Trump to commute Johnson's sentence.

Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond

What: Pardon

When: July 10, 2018

Details: The Hammonds are father-and-son cattle ranchers who were convicted of starting fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands. The case later sparked the so-called "sovereign citizen" movement, and led to the armed occupation of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. The Hammonds were sentenced to five years in prison under an antiterrorist act, but a judge reduced the sentence to three months for Dwight Hammond and a year and a day for Steven Hammond. The federal government appealed and the Hammonds were ordered to serve the rest of their five-year sentences. Dwight Hammond had about two years remaining and Steven Hammond had about one year remaining.

Follow George Petras on Twitter: @GeoPetras