The Constitution grants broad pardon powers to the US President. Historically, presidents consider whether a person has been rehabilitated and expresses remorse for their crimes before deciding to grant a pardon. Granting pardons, commutations or clemency is not typically granted for violent convicted criminals or extreme forms of proven white collar fraud. However, because the pardon power is so broad and unilateral, it has allowed an autocratic President like Trump to pardon people who have committed crimes that either he has committed or that he sees as acceptable. THE KIND OF PERSON AND CRIME A PRESIDENT PARDONS REVEALS INSIGHTS INTO THEIR CHARACTER FLAWS AND LEANINGS TOWARDS CRIMINALITY.
These white nationalist, violent militia leaders helped co-ordinate the Jan. 6th attempted coup against our democracy. They participated in the violence against the Capitol police and the DC police, which resulted in five deaths and 144 injuries to law enforcement. Trump called upon these militia groups to ” stand back and stand by” in a campaign speech in 2023 that signaled these groups to wait for his call to action should he lose the election. These men, along with anti-Semites wearing Auschwitz tee- shirts and others who threatened violence against Vice President Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were seen as heroes to Trump and all received pardons. HE LOST THE ELECTION. HE NEVER PROVED THAT HE WON. HOWEVER, VIOLENT LOYALISTS WON HIS HEART.
Glenn Thrush (New York Times, May 31, 2025) writes, “President Trump is employing the vast power of his office to redefine criminality to suit his needs — using pardons to inoculate criminals he happens to like, downplaying corruption and fraud as crimes, and seeking to stigmatise political opponents by labelling them, criminals”.
During his first presidency he pardoned a collection of sleazy, fringe politicians, attorneys and activists all working to enable his crimes and defend him by spreading lies and disinformation in the right-wing media. Many of them were Russian cohorts, scammers, criminals and liars who suffered tremendous financial losses, loss of their law licenses, prison time, and loss of reputation in service to the Trump crime enterprise.
IF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT CRIMINALITY IN GOVERNMENT AS LONG THEIR PARTY IS IN POWER, THAN THEY ARE TRAITORS TO OUR DEMOCRACY.
ADDITIONALLY, IF YOU FREAKED OUT OVER HUNTER BIDEN LEVERAGING HIS FATHER’S PRESIDENCY TO MAKE MONEY. WHY AREN’T YOU FREAKING OUT OVER ERIC AND DON MAKING BUSINESS DEALS WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES, WHETHER FRIEND OR FOE? CRIMINAL HYPOCRISY MIGHT PUT PEOPLE OUT OF FAVOR WITH JESUS.