Rick Santorum helped a campaign donor win a full Trump pardon
Rick Santorum helped secure a pardon for a member of his national finance committee from his 2016 presidential campaign. Paul Pogue and his family contributed $11,000 to Santorum’s campaign.
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Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum helped secure a pardon Tuesday for a member of his national finance committee from his 2016 presidential campaign.
President Donald Trump issued a full pardon to Paul Pogue, a construction company owner from McKinney, Texas, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to filing false tax returns.
Pogue underpaid his taxes by 10% for three years, according to the White House, and was sentenced to three years of probation, a $250,000 fine, and $473,604 in restitution.
Santorum told Clout he mentioned Pogue’s case to Trump “in passing” and felt the felony tax charge “sort of stunk.”
“He paid 90% of his taxes,” Santorum said. “It’s not like he didn’t pay taxes. He admitted he didn’t pay it because he thought he was paying too much. So he took a hit for it.”
In 2015, Pogue and his family contributed $11,000 to Santorum’s 2016 campaign.
Pogue’s son, Ben, now runs the family business. Ben Pogue last year contributed $147,442 to the Republican National Committee and $85,000 to Trump Victory, a joint effort of Trump’s reelection campaign and the RNC.
Santorum cited charity work in the United States and other countries done by Pogue and his wife, Judy, echoing reasons listed by the White House for the pardon.
“He’s just one of the most genuine, decent, generous, upright guys that I’ve ever met,” Santorum said. “I don’t think I’ve ever pushed for a pardon for anyone. I generally don’t do that.”