President Donald Trump has granted a presidential pardon to former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, a White House official confirmed on January 16, enabling her to avoid a scheduled federal sentencing in a campaign finance case.

Vázquez pleaded guilty last August to a campaign finance violation after charges originally included more serious bribery and fraud counts were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Her sentencing was set for later this month, with federal prosecutors having sought up to one year behind bars before the pardon intervened.

The White House official indicated that Mr. Trump viewed the investigation as politically driven, noting that the inquiry into Ms. Vázquez began shortly after she endorsed him in the 2020 presidential election.

Vázquez, who served as governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021, became the first former governor of the U.S. territory to plead guilty to a federal offence in connection with accepting a promise of a campaign contribution from a foreign national — an offer that was never fulfilled.

The case also involved co-defendants — a Venezuelan banker and a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent — who were charged in relation to the same scheme and whom the president is expected to pardon as well.

Supporters of the pardon have characterised the prosecution as an example of partisan legal action, while opponents, including Puerto Rico’s non-voting congressional representative Pablo José Hernández, describe the clemency as undermining public integrity and fostering impunity.

Ms. Vázquez’s tenure as governor began after the resignation of her predecessor amid political turmoil, and she served until losing her party’s primary.

The Trump administration’s decision to extend clemency in this case forms part of a broader exercise of presidential pardon authority during his term.