Trump to pardon a corrupt NY politician -- prosecutor says it is proof of his empathy: report

President Donald Trump is considering a wave of pardons during his final days in office.

"Those under consideration include such disparate figures as Sheldon Silver, the disgraced former New York Assembly speaker, and the rapper Lil Wayne, who pleaded guilty last month to a gun charge. Rudolph W. Giuliani says he does not expect one, and Stephen K. Bannon's chances seem to have dimmed," The New York Times reported Monday.

"Among those under consideration for a pardon or a commutation is Mr. Silver, who was convicted twice on corruption charges and sentenced to prison last summer, two people briefed on the discussions said. Mr. Silver was prosecuted by Preet Bharara when he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Bharara was fired by Mr. Trump in 2017, and has since become an outspoken critic of the president's handling of the Justice Department," the newspaper noted.

Bharara offered his analysis on Twitter, arguing it was proof of Trump's empathy.

"People who say Trump has no empathy are wrong. He has the utmost empathy for degenerate, corrupt, disgraced politicians who perhaps remind him of himself," Bharara argued.