In his final hours in office, former President Joe Biden issued a pardon to a prominent Kentucky Democrat convicted years ago of election finance violations.
In an executive grant of clemency dated Jan. 19, Biden granted a full and unconditional pardon to Jerry Lundergan, the former head of the state Democratic Party and father of Alison Lundergan Grimes, who served as Kentucky’s secretary of state from 2012 through 2019 and ran against U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2014.
Jerry Lundergan was convicted in 2019 following an investigation into claims he’d made illegal donations to his daughter’s 2014 Senate campaign — McConnell won that race, landing more than 56% of the vote — and then attempted to cover his tracks. Political operative Dale Emmons was also convicted.
Guthrie True, an attorney for Lundergan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Lundergan issued a statement through True to the Kentucky Lantern thanking Biden for the pardon, which “offers healing to my family and confirms that our justice system is grounded in forgiveness.”
“I have taken responsibility for my actions, sought atonement, and am working to make a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable, including the homeless, those recovering from addiction, and those re-entering society,” the statement said.
Lundergan was found guilty in 2019 of 10 felonies after prosecutors alleged he’d funneled more than $200,000 from his companies to his daughter’s campaign and had falsified campaign records to cover up his activity. Defense attorneys for Lundergan and Emmons argued they’d made innocent mistakes and did not knowingly violate the law.
Lundergan was sentenced to 21 months in prison along with two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.
Biden’s final day in office was Monday, the day after he issued the pardon. Current President Donald Trump was inaugurated in a ceremony at the nation’s Capitol.
This story may be updated.
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jerry Lundergan pardoned by Joe Biden in final hours as president