US Rapper Lil Wayne expected to receive presidential pardon

Rapper Lil Wayne is among those expected to receive a pardon or clemency from US President Donald Trump on his last full day in office on Tuesday.

Lil Wayne pleaded guilty last December to possessing a loaded, gold-plated handgun when his chartered jet landed in Miami, Florida in December 2019.

He faces up to 10 years in prison at a January 28 hearing.

The rapper appeared to support Trump during the 2020 presidential campaign when he tweeted a photo of himself with the president and said he backed Trump’s criminal justice reform programme and economic plan for African-Americans.

President Trump is expected to pardon up to 100 people.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters neither the president, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani nor former aide Steve Bannon will be on the list.

While the constitutionality of a presidential self-pardon remains untested, aides have cautioned Mr. Trump that pardoning himself and members of his family may imply guilt.

An implication of guilt may become a liability in future state or civil lawsuits against his family and businesses.

Political commentators have suggested a self-pardon could antagonize some Republican senators who will be voting during the second Trump impeachment trial, expected later in January.