WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency this week to 30 people, including Emory Jones, a longtime associate of rap mogul Jay-Z, the White House “pardon czar” posted on Friday. Jones served nearly 16 years in federal prison on drug charges, Alice Marie Johnson wrote in a social media post announcing the clemency actions. The president took the action on Thursday, according to Johnson, the White House official responsible for organizing clemency efforts. Jones was released in 2010 after Jay-Z wrote a letter to a judge on his behalf, seeking a sentence reduction. Jones has worked as an executive at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company and co-founded the Paper Planes clothing brand. The New York Times reported that other clemency recipients include a former Philadelphia union boss convicted of bribery and an ex-Navy sailor imprisoned for firearms offences. Trump has granted pardons of criminal convictions and commutations shortening sentences for more than 1,700 people since his second White House term began in January 2025. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and William Mallard)
