Trump grants clemency to 30 people

U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency this week to 30 people, including Emory Jones, a longtime associate of rap mogul Jay-Z, White House “pardon czar” Alice Marie Johnson posted on Friday. * Jones served nearly 16 years in federal prison on drug charges, Johnson wrote in a social media post announcing the clemency actions. * The president took the action on Thursday, according to Johnson, the White House official responsible for organizing clemency efforts. * Jones was released in 2010 after Jay-Z wrote a letter to a judge on his behalf, seeking a sentence reduction. * Jones has worked as an executive at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company and co-founded the Paper Planes clothing brand. * The New York Times reported that other clemency recipients include a former Philadelphia union boss convicted of bribery and an ex-Navy sailor imprisoned for firearms offenses. * Trump has granted pardons of criminal convictions and commutations shortening sentences