As Kodak Black continued to sit behind bars, he vowed to donate $1 million to charity if former president Donald Trump granted him a pardon. And likely to his surprise, the Bill Israel rapper was indeed included on Trump’s list of pardons and commutations that was handed down on January 19, his last full day in the Oval Office.
But it’s possible the 23-year-old rapper has had a change of heart when it comes to the hefty donation — despite his promise. The tweet, which was shared in November 2020, has been scrubbed from his account.
Kodak said at the time, “If The President Them Free Me, I’m Gonna Spend 1 million on Charity with The First Year I’m Out. That’s On Everything!!”
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Naturally, his attorney Bradford Cohen took a defensive stance and told TMZ, “A statement promising something for something in exchange is not appropriate and although Kodak has always given to charity his whole career and will continue to do charity, not in exchange for anything. Some think this is a story. It isn’t.
“Instead of harping on a young Black man and how much charity he does, why don’t we take a look at the amount of charity the writers of these articles do? Last week, Kodak pledged $100k to setting up a scholarship fund in the name of Meadow Poll.”
Regardless of the optics, Kodak says he’s intent on shaping up. Shortly after President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, Kodak tweeted Trump’s now-suspended Twitter account and thanked him for the second chance.
“I Want To Thank The President @RealDonaldTrump For His Commitment To Justice Reform And Shortening My Sentence,” he wrote. “I Also Want To Thank Everyone For Their Support And Love. It Means More Than You Will Ever Know. I Want To Continue Giving Back, Learning And Growing. @DanScavino.”
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But it’s presumably going to be a long road to get to a place where he can truly start over. Kodak still faces up to 30 years in prison for a sexual assault charge in Florence County, South Carolina. Prosecutors want him extradited immediately to stand trial. As pointed out by Courthouse News, Kodak’s pardon doesn’t protect him from the South Carolina case in part because presidential clemency applies to federal, not state charges.
Prosecutors allege Kodak forced himself on a woman in a hotel room in February 2016 and bit her neck and breast. The police affidavit says the woman “repeatedly told [him] to stop” during the sexual encounter and explains “her injuries were documented in a sexual assault kit that was completed by medical personnel.”
The 12th Circuit solicitor in Florence County Ed Clemets said he already has a detainer on file against Kodak and plans to “aggressively” go after him.
Kodak Black Released From Prison With Trump Pardon — But His Sexual Assault Case Still Looms
The White House press secretary said in a statement Trump’s decision to commute Kodak’s federal sentence was “supported by numerous religious leaders, including Pastor Darrell Scott and Rabbi Schneur Kaplan.”
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The statement also noted his “numerous philanthropic efforts” and charitable donations, including funding school supplies for financially struggling families, a $1,000 donation to Rabbi Kaplan’s synagogue and a $50,000 donation to the Barstool Fund.
