Trump clemency recipient's arrest draws attention of judge in old drug case
- A New York federal judge ordered U.S. probation officials to investigate the recent arrest of a convicted drug dealer who was released from prison in early 2021 after his 10-year sentence was commuted by former President Donald Trump.
- The order raises the possibility that the drug dealer, Jonathan Braun, could be sent back to prison for his federal marijuana-related conviction because of his arrest last week in Nassau County, New York, for allegedly assaulting his wife and father-in-law.
- It also raises the prospect that Braun could become an issue in the 2024 presidential election, where Trump is trying to paint Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, as soft on crime.
A New York federal judge has ordered U.S. probation officials to investigate the recent arrest of a convicted drug dealer who was released from prison in early 2021 when his 10-year sentence was commuted by former President Donald Trump.
The order raises the possibility that the drug dealer, Jonathan Braun, could be sent back to prison for his federal marijuana-related conviction because of his arrest last week in Nassau County, New York, for allegedly assaulting his wife and father-in-law.
It also raises the prospect that Braun could become an issue in the 2024 presidential election, where Trump is trying to paint Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, as soft on crime.
Braun, a 41-year-old who has also worked in the predatory lending industry, remains on supervised release for his conviction in Brooklyn, New York, federal court for conspiracy to import marijuana and commit money laundering.
"Probation shall continue to investigate this matter and apprise the Court of your findings and