Presidential pardons have always been a bit of a hot potato, but they have become an even more searing topic in the wake of the Biden administration.
Then-President Joe Biden had conservatives livid over the slew of pardons he issued as he headed out the door.
Donald Trump has picked up where Biden left off, pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, corrupt politicians, and now a group of associates who were under scrutiny for alleged crimes related to the 2020 election.
On Trump’s first day in office, he delivered on his promise to pardon Jan. 6 rioters, something he openly stated on the campaign trail that he would do.
For the most part, I did not care about the pardons other than those granted to people who clearly had nefarious plans in mind on Jan. 6, such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, as well as anyone who physically assaulted a police officer.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to look at every case and individually evaluate them, but that clearly did not happen, given that the pardons were issued only hours after Trump took office.
There was a mixed reaction even among Republicans to the pardons, with many suspecting that the clemency grants could be used by Democrats to impeach Trump for having lent aid and comfort to insurrectionists.
One of the cases I have made in terms of pardon power abuse by presidents is how we often see them grant clemency to friends or family members for no other reason than their privileged status. And this practice was going on long before Trump or Biden took office, as virtually every modern-day president has acted in a similar fashion.
Prior to this weekend, Trump had pardoned more than a dozen corrupt officials, many of whom had direct ties to the president, such as having appeared on The Apprentice, having worked with him in a professional capacity, or having advocated for him in the past. Again, this is something that virtually every president has done, but I am focusing on Trump because he is the one in office right now.
The two pardons that really got under my skin were the ones granted to former Nevada politician Michele Fiore and to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was as corrupt as the day is long, but he previously appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, so Trump gave him a free pass. Fiore literally took money that was slated to honor fallen police officers. However, many in the media dubbed her the female version of Trump, and after her disgusting crimes, she was given a free pass by the president.
Late Sunday night, the newswire erupted after Trump pardoned, among others, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sidney Powell, all key figures in the president's attempt to dispute the 2020 election results.
The proclamation at issue granted pardons "to all United States citizens for conduct relating to the advice, creation, organization, execution, submission, support, voting, activities, participation in, or advocacy for or of any slate or proposed slate of Presidential electors, whether or not recognized by any State or State official, in connection with the 2020 Presidential Election, as well for any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 Presidential Election."
In all, 77 people were named, but even if they were not named in the pardon, the wording was such that this pardon could also cover other individuals. It concluded, "This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”
The pardon was not unexpected, to be honest, but this is something that will hurt the GOP overall when it comes time for voters to pull the lever in 2026 and 2028. Furthermore, every Republican who has a microphone stuck in their face over the next few months will have to answer questions about the pardons and where they stand. I believe this should be the last group of pardons related to Jan. 6 and the 2020 election results, so that we can finally put this behind us after this news cycle dies off. At least, that is, until they are brought up during those election cycles all over again.
