Trump Pardons Jack Abramoff Associate Adam Kidan Days After $2,600 Donation to Rep. Ryan Mackenzie

President Donald Trump issued a full pardon to Adam Kidan, a former business partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, on July 3. The clemency came three days after Kidan’s $2,600 contribution to Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s (R-PA) leadership PAC, a donation recorded on June 30. Trump had campaigned with Mackenzie in the congressman’s eastern Pennsylvania district on June 23.

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Kidan, 61, was convicted in 2006 for conspiracy and mail fraud tied to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal that involved illegal lobbying, fraud, and bribery related to Native-American casino interests. He and Abramoff were sentenced to 70 months in March 2006; Kidan served roughly two-and-a-half years before release in 2009. Sentencing included a restitution order—sources differ on the amount, citing either a $21.7 million or a $217 million total restitution figure owed to lenders.

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Since his release, Kidan has become a prolific Republican donor, contributing roughly $270,000 to Trump-aligned committees during the 2024 election cycle and hosting fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago. He has also made donations to other GOP candidates in 2025 and 2026 midterms, including Pennsylvania swing-district representatives and a Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate.

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Bob Brooks’s campaign manager Jenna Kaufman condemned the timing, describing the combination of the donation and pardon as “corruption in plain sight.”

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• “Three days after a convicted fraudster cut Ryan Mackenzie a massive campaign check, that same fraudster walked away with a presidential pardon. That is corruption in plain sight.” — Jenna Kaufman, brooks’ campaign manager

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