GOP senator pulls off 'rare feat' of getting a presidential pardon -- for his cousin: report

Of the six people who received pardons from Donald Trump and had ties to South Carolina, only one was related to one of the state's two GOP senators.

"In the waning days of Donald Trump's presidency, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott secured a pardon for a pastor he applauded for becoming a model citizen after being convicted in a cocaine bust in the 1990s. Less widely known: the man is Scott's cousin," The Post and Courier reported Monday.

"Securing presidential pardons is a rare feat. Some 143 pardons were issued by the Trump administration. Yet through leveraging his close relationship with Trump, Scott secured one of at least six forgiveness actions issued to people with South Carolina ties before Trump left the White House on Jan. 20," the newspaper explained.

The pardoned man's name is Otis Gordon.

"While the White House internally knew about their biological connection, Scott's office said, the Republican senator did not publicly acknowledge or announce Gordon was his blood kin or that he had been a longtime paid staffer with Scott's political campaigns," the newspaper reported. "On March 22, Scott's spokesman said the senator would not be available for comment and declined to answer questions from The Post and Courier."

Read the full report.