Trump Pardon Misses Key Puerto Rico Governor Case
- WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's pardon of former Puerto Rico Gov.
- trump's pardon specifically applies to "those offenses against the United States individually enumerated and set before me for my consideration: United States v.
- The Justice Department initially indicted Vázquez Garced in 2022 on bribery charges tied to her 2020 campaign financing.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced doesn’t cover all her criminal cases, and the White House plans to correct this. An official said they’re acting out of caution.
trump’s pardon specifically applies to “those offenses against the United States individually enumerated and set before me for my consideration: United States v. Vazquez-Garced, et al., 3:22-CR-342.”
The Justice Department initially indicted Vázquez Garced in 2022 on bribery charges tied to her 2020 campaign financing. In August 2025, she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation, filed under a separate docket number, 3:25-cr-00296.
The 2025 docket number isn’t included in the pardon.
The Trump administration believes the original pardon document is sufficient, but will sign an additional one as a precaution, according to a White House official.
It’s common for a federal case to receive a new docket number when a plea agreement is reached. The original 2022 case includes other defendants, who have been pardoned separately, though none of their cases have been dismissed yet.
As of now, the 2025 case against Vázquez Garced remains active. On Saturday, Judge Silvia L. Carreño-Coll denied a defense motion regarding Vázquez Garced’s sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 29.The defense hasn’t yet filed a motion concerning the pardon.