Former Michigan Congressman Among Trump Pardons

One of President Donald Trump’s latest rounds of pardons included a former Michigan U.S. Representative.

Mark Siljander served three full terms and one partial term in the House, representing southwest Michigan. He lost his seat when he was upset by current Congressman Fred Upton in the 1986 Republican primary. The turning point came when Siljander sent an audio recording to conservative pastors imploring them to unite behind him to “break the back of Satan.”

Following his loss, he became a lobbyist.

In 2010, Siljander was investigated for work he did for an Islamic charity that federal authorities said was linked to terrorist groups. He pleaded guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and served a year in prison, and six months of supervised release. Money laundering charges were dropped, and terrorism charges were considered, but never filed. 

Upton reacted to the pardon on Twitter, saying he was “stunned” and  “beyond disappointed.” He called on the president to “focus his energy on helping the millions of families and small businesses ravaged by the pandemic.”