President Trump pardoned a Florida health care director whose mother played a role in trying to reveal the contents of Ashley Biden’s diary.
The pardon for executive Paul Walczak was signed privately on Wednesday and posted on the Justice Department website on Friday. It was less than two weeks after he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $4.4 million in compensation, as prosecutors said tax offences were used to fund a luxury lifestyle, including buying a yacht.
Walczak’s mother, Elizabeth Fago, also involved in the health care industry in Florida, is a longtime Republican donor and fundraiser who undermines Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s secret effort to help Mr. Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
During the campaign, the New York Times previously reported that a man contacted Ms. Figo, who owned the diary of Mr. Biden’s daughter, Ashley, recovering from addiction.
Ms. Fago said first time she thought it would help Mr. Trump win the election, and if it was made public, two people familiar with the matter later told the Times. The man, Robert Kurlander, distributed his diary in September 2020 at a fundraising event at Fago House in Jupiter, Florida.
Ms. Fago’s daughter passed along the tips about the diary to Veritas Project, a conservative group that has become Mr. Trump’s favorite. The Veritas program later paid $40,000 to Mr. Kurlander and a colleague Aimee Harris for journaling.
The Justice Department investigated theft and handling of the diary, which included a review of Ms. Fago and her daughter. Neither they nor anyone in the Veritas project were charged, but both Mr. Kurlander and Ms. Harris were convicted of the program.
There is no evidence that Mr. Volkake was involved in the effort to obtain a diary and the allegations against him were not related to the matter.
During the fundraising event, he donated a total of about $450 at his mother’s home to Mr. Trump’s 2020 campaign, but it is not clear whether he participated in the competition.
When asked about the pardon, he declined to comment, without responding to follow-up messages about the diary. Ms. Fago, who has donated more than $16,000 to Mr. Trump’s committee and was nominated as the National Cancer Advisory Board in December 2020, did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Volkake’s pardon was as Trump increasingly used his almost unrestricted power of forgiveness to reward allies, highlighting his dissatisfaction with what he sees as the political weaponization of the justice system and sliding on perceived enemies, including competitors.
Last month, Mr. Trump awarded forgiveness to Devon Archer and Jason Galanis. These are former business partners of Mr. Biden’s son, Hon Hunter, and have won fans of political rights by testifying to the Republican-controlled congressional committee, introducing the overlap between young Mr. Biden’s business dealings and Mr. Biden’s public service.
Raymond R. Granger, the lawyer representing Mr. Walczak’s case.
“Paul and his family are really grateful to the President and Paul looks forward to focusing on his lifelong passion for improving the country’s health care system,” Mr Granger said in a statement.
Mr. Volkake’s leniency comes the same day that Mr. Trump sent to Nevada Republican politician Michele Fiore, who was convicted last year for using charitable donations for personal expenses, including plastic surgery, rent and his daughter’s wedding.
White House officials said there was no evidence that Mr. Volkake and Ms. Fior have been victims of Biden’s Department of Justice’s biased prosecution.
