President Trump has granted full pardons to former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff Cade Cothren — two Republican operatives convicted in a federal corruption case involving a legislator-funded mailer program.
The White House announced that the decision came after what the administration describes as a disproportionate prosecution by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden administration.
According to a senior White House official, Casada and Cothren were convicted of a “minor issue involving constituent mailers — which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000.” The official added that “the Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, a perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years — penalties normally reserved for multimillion-dollar fraudsters.”
Casada was sentenced in September to three years in prison, and Cothren to two and a half years, following their convictions. Casada resigned from his speakership in 2019 after a no-confidence vote within his party.
The former lawmaker was found guilty of 17 charges in the public corruption case, while Cothren was found guilty of all 19 charges in the trial that began in April.
President Trump’s recent pardons:
To understand the Casada/Cothren case in context, here are key examples of Trump’s clemency use:
- Earlier this year, Trump pardoned former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland (R), who had resigned amid a federal corruption scandal and served prison time.
- He also pardoned former New York Representative Michael Grimm (R), who pleaded guilty to tax fraud.
- In February, Trump pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) — who had been convicted in a high-profile federal corruption case — further underscoring the breadth and partisan ramifications of his clemency decisions.
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