President Donald Trump granted pardons to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, convicted on federal corruption charges. Casada, a Republican, had received 36 months for 17 counts including wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy; Cothren got a shorter term. A White House official confirmed the move and accused the Biden Justice Department of over-prosecuting a minor constituent mailer case. The probe, however, began during Trump’s first term, with January 2021 raids, and the sentencing judge was a Trump appointee. Prosecutors tied the scheme to Phoenix Solutions and a $52,000 mailer program.
Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.
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