President Donald Trump reportedly pardoned the husband of a Tennessee House Republican who admitted to distributing misbranded kidney dialysis drugs and committing health care fraud.
Robert Harshbarger Jr. pleaded guilty after prosecutors said he sold non-FDA-approved, Chinese-made iron sucrose as if it were an FDA-approved kidney dialysis treatment, endangering patients by circumventing safety and quality standards. No patients were reportedly harmed.
Harshbarger was sentenced to four years in federal prison and told to repay $848,000, as well as pay a $25,000 fine. He also forfeited $425,000 in ill-gained profits.
Last week, Harshbarger found himself the latest recipient of Trump's grace, with The New York Times reporting Monday the president quietly pardoned Harshbarger. The pardon was not publicly announced by the White House, but was posted Monday on the website of the Justice Department’s office of the pardon attorney.
A White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter said Harshbarger was not pardoned because of his last name or other affiliations. Harshbarger is married to Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), who is also a pharmacist and was a corporate officer and agent for the company through which her husband sold the drugs.