President Trump granted a pardon posthumously Thursday for the late scientist Zay Jeffries on his conviction for engaging in anticompetitive conduct in violation of the Sherman Act at the start of World War II.
A statement from the White House said Jeffries “was crucial to the United States war effort in World War II.”
“His efforts enabled the United States to develop artillery shells capable of piercing the armor of German tanks, and his contributions to the Manhattan Project helped end the war in the Pacific theater,” the White House said.
He was indicted in 1941, but President Franklin Roosevelt approved deferring his prosecution until after the war due to his vital contributions to the U.S. military.
“When the Department of Justice returned to the case in 1947, it grounded its legal theory on a Supreme Court precedent that did not exist when Dr. Jeffries was originally indicted,” the White House said.
He was fined $2,500 in 1948 with no jail time, and was awarded the presidential medal for merit that same year by President Harry Truman.
His case has attracted support from Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, former Rep. Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Republican, and others. Mr. Gowdy recently joined the president’s legal team fighting House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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