Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. Pilate knew that the Jewish leaders were only trumping up charges to railroad Jesus. He admits it in the text. And in that, he still sent Jesus to die, because it was more politically appropriate. His politics outweighed his morals, and his politics won out.
Before we point a finger at him, let’s look ourselves. Knowing the truth is not the same as obeying it. Does what we know to be true come out in our lives every time? No… fortunately we have grace. Let’s look at Pilate today.