Michigan Republican stunned by President Trumps pardon of ex-congressman – MLive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, today criticized President Donald Trumps pardon of his predecessor, Mark Siljander, who had ties to an Islamic charity alleged to have funded a terrorist group.

Siljander, who was sentenced to one year in 2010, was among 29 on Wednesday, Dec. 23, to receive pardons or commutations by Trump. Siljander was convicted of obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

I am beyond disappointed the President used his pardon authority on Mark Siljander, who accepted a plea bargain and lesser charges and still served a year in federal prison after having been indicted with a series of federal crimes including obstruction of justice, money ... laundering, and lobbying for an international terrorist group with ties to Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban, Upton said in a series of tweets.

He added: Just stunned. I wish the President would instead focus his energy on helping the millions of families and small businesses ravaged by the pandemic.

Upton beat Siljander in the 1986 Republican primary. Siljander spent six years in the House of Representatives.

The criminal charges are related to Siljanders ties to former charity alleged to have funded terror groups. The former charity, the Islamic-American Relief Agency, used money from the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay Siljander for work to remove it from a list of organizations that supported terrorism.

Upton represents Michigans 6th Congressional District, including Kalamazoo County and five other Southwest Michigan counties. When he unseated Siljander, he represented the 4th District before redistricting in 1990.

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Michigan Republican stunned by President Trumps pardon of ex-congressman - MLive.com