Trump granted full pardons to four Blackwater contractors convicted in the Nisur Square case
Reporting and findings
- documented
Donald Trump granted full pardons on December 22, 2020 to Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard, the four former Blackwater contractors whose Nisur Square convictions and sentences are recorded in separate events.
Corrects claim:blackwater-pardons-granted- Trump White House Archives: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of ClemencyNamed full-pardon recipients
- The Washington Post: Trump pardons Blackwater contractors convicted in deaths of 14 Iraqi civiliansIndependent contemporaneous report on the four pardons, convictions, sentences, victims, and contractor role
- documented
Donald Trump granted Dustin Heard a full pardon on 2020-12-22 concerning voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and firearm convictions.
- Trump White House Archives: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of ClemencyParagraph naming Slatten, Slough, Liberty and Heard as full-pardon recipients.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Pardons Granted by President Donald J. Trump (2017–2021)2020-12-22 section, Dustin Heard row
- documented
Donald Trump granted Evan Liberty a full pardon on 2020-12-22 concerning voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and firearm convictions.
- Trump White House Archives: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of ClemencyParagraph naming Slatten, Slough, Liberty and Heard as full-pardon recipients.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Pardons Granted by President Donald J. Trump (2017–2021)2020-12-22 section, Evan Liberty row
- documented
Donald Trump granted Nicholas Slatten a full pardon on 2020-12-22 concerning a first-degree murder conviction.
- Trump White House Archives: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of ClemencyParagraph naming Slatten, Slough, Liberty and Heard as full-pardon recipients.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Pardons Granted by President Donald J. Trump (2017–2021)2020-12-22 section, Nicholas Slatten row
- documented
Donald Trump granted Paul Slough a full pardon on 2020-12-22 concerning voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and firearm convictions.
- Trump White House Archives: Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of ClemencyParagraph naming Slatten, Slough, Liberty and Heard as full-pardon recipients.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Pardons Granted by President Donald J. Trump (2017–2021)2020-12-22 section, Paul Slough row
Summary and current status
Trump granted full pardons to the four former Blackwater contractors on December 22, 2020; their individual convictions and sentences are recorded separately.
Full presidential pardons granted December 22, 2020
People and organizations
- Dustin Laurent HeardBlackwater contractor in Nisur Square case
- Evan Shawn LibertyBlackwater contractor in Nisur Square case
- Nicholas Abram SlattenBlackwater contractor in Nisur Square case
- Paul Alvin SloughBlackwater contractor in Nisur Square case
- Donald J. TrumpDonald Trump root
Relationships in this file
- Donald J. Trumprecipient of Trump's December 22, 2020 presidential clemencyDustin Laurent Heard
- Donald J. Trumprecipient of Trump's December 22, 2020 presidential clemencyEvan Shawn Liberty
- Donald J. Trumprecipient of Trump's December 22, 2020 presidential clemencyNicholas Abram Slatten
- Donald J. Trumprecipient of Trump's December 22, 2020 presidential clemencyPaul Alvin Slough
Figures
Four named Blackwater pardon recipients4 recipient-level pardon actions Calculation details
- Basis
- Observed
- Population
- Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, each granted a full pardon on December 22, 2020.
- Period
- 2020-12-22 to 2020-12-22
- As of
- 2020-12-22
- Method
- Count one presidential pardon per named recipient, grouped here as four actions under one dated entry. Together with Behenna, Lorance and Golsteyn, the reviewed set contains seven recipients on three dates. Do not also count the earlier shared Blackwater entry or their underlying offense counts.
- Uncertainty
- Bounded named-recipient set, not a certified all-time census. The four had convictions, with appellate outcomes and retrial documented separately. This measures Trump's pardons, not responsibility for their earlier conduct.