President Trump announced on Friday afternoon his intention to grant “a Full and Complete Pardon” to a former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was found guilty by an American jury last year of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States in a sweeping drug case.
The pardon announcement came in a pair of social media posts by Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly weighed in on that country’s upcoming election on Sunday. He had already endorsed a candidate, a former mayor from the conservative National Party named Nasry “Tito” Asfura.
....Mr. Hernández received millions of dollars from trafficking organizations in Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere, including from Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo, who was a Mexican drug lord and the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. In return, prosecutors added, Mr. Hernández allowed vast amounts of cocaine to pass through Honduras on its way to the United States." NYT
In other words he is pardoning a ex president who was found guilty of doing the same thing he accuses the Venezuelan president of doing. To me, the pardon power needs to be amended and removed from presidents.
Im curious if Maga Republicans are ok with this. It has been documented as to his egregious patdons:
* Changpeng "CZ" Zhao (Binance Founder): Pardoned after pleading guilty to enabling money laundering. The pardon followed his company's association with a Trump family crypto venture through investment.
* Ross Ulbricht (Silk Road Founder): Pardoned for a continuing criminal enterprise involving drug distribution and money laundering. The pardon nullified approximately $184 million in forfeiture and was backed by the crypto community.
* BitMEX Co-founders (Hayes, Delo, and Reed): Pardoned for Bank Secrecy Act violations. The clemency reportedly nullified $100 million in fines and financial penalties.
* Paul Walczak (Nursing Home Executive): Pardoned after pleading guilty to defrauding the government. The pardon canceled his sentence and $4.4 million in restitution; his mother is a significant Trump donor.
* Trevor Milton (Nikola Corp. Founder): Pardoned after conviction for securities fraud and wire fraud. He was a heavy donor to Trump's re-election campaign.
* Todd and Julie Chrisley (Reality TV Personalities): Pardoned after conviction for tax evasion and bank fraud. The pardon followed their daughter's strong public political support.
* Juan Orlando Hernández (Former Honduran President): Pardoned after conviction for drug trafficking. The pardon was issued just before a Honduran election while Trump backed his political party.
* Rudy Giuliani (Trump Attorney): Pardoned for charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, viewed as a reward for extreme political loyalty.
* Elliott Broidy (Republican Fundraiser): Pardoned for acting as an unregistered foreign agent (secret lobbying). He was a major finance leader and donor.
* George Santos (Former Congressman): Commutation of sentence was granted after conviction for wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.
* Political Allies (Manafort, Stone, Flynn, Bannon): Pardoned for various crimes including fraud, lying to the FBI, and conspiracy, seen as rewarding political loyalty and protecting the President's inner circle.
* January 6 Defendants (1,500+ individuals): Granted a blanket clemency for charges related to the U.S. Capitol attack, viewed as a political act to reward his core base.