President Trump today extended his run on presidential pardons, granting clemency to more than two dozen convicted felons and political allies. Supporters were surprised; critics were shocked; recipients were elated.
“Donald Trump’s pardoning of the January 6th criminals was an affront to America’s laws and civic spirit,” said Democratic Representative Thrombonious Monk of Virginia. “This latest round of ‘grafted release’ outdoes even that!”
The list of pardoned felons includes a Chicago gangster and drug dealer who was serving 200 years for murder, a TV reality star couple serving time for tax evasion and bank fraud of over $30 million, a tax evader whose mother attended a million-dollar-a-plate dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and a host of political figures convicted on public corruption charges. Notable also is Trump’s consideration of pardoning conspirators in the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
Reminiscent of comments during his first administration to bring in “only the very best people,” Trump told reporters he would name Alice Johnson as “Pardon Czar.” Ms. Johnson was serving life in prison for drug conspiracy until the sentence was commuted by Mr. Trump.
“These people have been treated very unfairly by a weaponized justice system, just like me. More importantly, they know I’ve got their backs, and they have mine,” he told reporters at a White House briefing. “These are my good friends, or at least friends of friends, or of very generous people I’ve met. We’re all in this together!”
An article in the New York Times highlighted Trump’s pardon advisor, Ed Martin, who hailed the pardons granted to date. Posting on social media, Mr. Martin said, “No MAGA left behind! Hooyah!” Pardon Czar Johnson spoke on Fox News about recently freed TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley as victims of “over-sentencing. It was truly weaponized. They call them ‘the Trumps of Georgia.’ I know that they’re going to use their voices and their platform to uplift the president’s agenda.”
Law professor Elias Shenandoah of NYU told our interviewer, “I’ve never seen, or read about, such patent acts of graft, of quid pro quo solicitations for support and money from a public official. And it doesn’t stop!” Shaking his head, he added, “Each week I have to say the same thing! It’s exhausting.”
