WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pardoned former Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced, who was accused of participating in a bribery scheme, a White House official confirmed Friday.
Vázquez Garced was initially indicted by the Justice Department under the Biden administration in 2022 on bribery charges. She pleaded guilty in August to a reduced charge of a campaign finance violation.
The pardon was first reported by CBS News.
“This entire case is an example of political prosecution,” a White House official told NBC News.
According to the indictment, prosecutors said that between Dec. 2019 and June 2020, Vázquez Garced allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme as part of an effort to finance her 2020 gubernatorial campaign. She pleaded guilty last August as part of a plea agreement with the Trump administration and was scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
“Ms. Vazquez’ pardon materials state that there was never any element of a quid pro quo deal and that her prosecution was politically motivated,” the White House official said, claiming that the investigation into her began 10 days after she endorsed Trump for president in Oct. 2020.
Vázquez Garced believed there was “no bribery at all,” the official said, “because the discussions with the banker concerned a matter of agreeing on policy with a potential donor, and not taking action in exchange for a material gain.”
The official added that the case bears similarities to that of Alexander Sittenfeld, whom Trump pardoned in May 2025. Trump has granted clemency to hundreds of people throughout his second term so far, including several people sentenced on campaign finance violations or bribery charges.
Vázquez Garced became governor of Puerto Rico in Aug. 2019 after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned following massive protests. She served in the role until 2021, when she lost her primary.