U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) on Tuesday confirmed President Donald Trump issued a presidential pardon for her husband, Robert Harshbarger Jr., a pharmacist who was convicted in 2013 of distributing iron sucrose to patients that had not undergone testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dating from the Obama administration states Robert Harshbarger, “received iron sucrose that had not been certified by the FDA to meet quality and safety standards.”
Despite the DOJ noting there were, “no reports of harm to patients,” Robert Harshbarger pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to four years in prison and to pay restitution and fines totaling more than $1.2 million.
“My husband paid his debt both personally and financially to society,” Diana Harshbarger said in a statement reported by News Channel 11 on Tuesday. She added that her family was “thrilled and grateful that the President looked kindly upon Bob’s application.”
Their son, State Senator Bobby Harshbarger (R-Hawkins County), was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly last year.
Trump signed the pardon last week. Available on the DOJ website, the document confirms Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon for the case against Robert Harshbarger.
The pardon came just days after the president issued pardons for two Tennessee Republicans, former State House Speaker Glen Casada and Cade Cothren, his former chief of staff, who were convicted in a fraud case that involved using a fictitious identity to establish a business that sent taxpayer-funded mailers on behalf of the General Assembly.
A statement attributed to the White House said Trump considered Casada and Cothrens to be victims of the political weaponization critics say plagued the DOJ under former President Joe Biden.
“The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers — which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000,” reportedly said the White House official. “The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years – penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
