In medieval England, there was no law if your pockets were deep. Crimes had fixed costs: A couple of hundred gold coins got you off the hook if you killed a poor man; 2,000 if you killed a rich one. America’s founders imagined a different way forward. In their debates about the pardon power, Edmund Randolph, later the first attorney general, demanded an exception for treason. “The President may himself be guilty,” he objected. “The traitors may be his own instruments.”
Randolph secured an exception for those impeached, but other than that, the president can pardon anyone for any reason. And while there have always been dubious pardons for political cronies, “unprecedented” doesn’t begin to describe how Donald Trump has corrupted the power of presidential forgiveness. First, there’s the scope: He granted 238 pardons and commutations in his first term. Last year, he went into overdrive, granting some 1,700 more, including to many key actors in the plot to steal the 2020 election. That included all 1,583 people charged with or convicted of joining in the January 6 riot—a mass pardon of violent insurrectionists exceeded only by Andrew Johnson’s blanket amnesty for Confederate troops. In fact, two-thirds of all pardons since 2001 went to people who invaded the Capitol, including 169 people charged with beating cops and 174 who stormed its grounds with a deadly weapon. Some went on to get new convictions: possession of child porn, even reckless homicide.
Trump’s other pardons show his affinity for white-collar criminals, especially those who line MAGA pockets. Con artist Jacob Wohl and his business partner Jack Burkman got a million to help nursing home fraudster Joseph Schwartz. Lobbyist Ches McDowell, a hunting pal of Donald Trump Jr., charged at least $450,000 to bag a pardon for crypto mogul Changpeng Zhao. Altogether, Trump has erased more than a billion dollars in restitution and nearly 2,000 convictions. You need data to understand a break this extreme—so we crunched the numbers.
The most revealing (and ridiculous) abuses of pardon power in Trump’s second term.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, facilitating money laundering
What they were convicted of: In 2023, the then-CEO of Binance pleaded guilty to allowing bad actors—including some from ISIS—to use his massive cryptocurrency exchange to skirt international sanctions. Binance was fined $4.3 billion; Zhao personally paid a $50 million penalty. Trump said he knew nothing about the case—except that he’d “heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
Trump said: “I don’t know who he is.”
Juan Orlando Hernández, drug trafficking
What they were convicted of: In a landmark Department of Justice drug trafficking case, the former president of Honduras was extradited in 2022 for helping flood the US with hundreds of tons of cocaine. His conviction in 2024 marked a major win for Biden’s DOJ. In November, Trump wiped out his 45-year prison sentence. About a month later, Trump invaded Venezuela and spirited away President Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration accused of trafficking coke.
Trump said: “It was a Biden setup.”
Todd and Julie Chrisley, tax evasion and fraud
What they were convicted of: Real estate magnates. Reality TV stars. Right-wing icons. Convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud. If it sounds like that would strike a chord with Trump, you’re right. Their daughter, Savannah, spoke at the Republican National Convention, part of her campaign to promote the idea that the Chrisleys had been persecuted for their conservative beliefs. It worked.
Trump said: “I don’t know them, but give them my regards.”
Lauren Handy, blocking clinic access and harassment
What they were convicted of: In his second term, Trump became the first president to pardon convictions under the FACE Act, the 1994 law against blocking access to abortion clinics. Handy helped lead a movement defined by clinic invasions, threats toward providers, intimidation of patients, and theft of fetuses. Sentenced in May 2024, she was among 24 anti-abortion activists Trump pardoned—one of whom said they were “emboldened” by the president’s decision.
Trump said: “Great honor to sign this.”
David Gentile, securities and wire fraud
What they were convicted of: The private equity tycoon ran a Ponzi scheme that made $1.6 billion by fleecing 17,000 investors, including some 4,000 senior citizens, many of whom lost their life savings. Trump excused Gentile from paying back $15.5 million to his victims and freed him from prison 12 days into a seven-year sentence. Meanwhile, he didn’t pardon Gentile’s co-conspirator.
Trump said: Nothing.
January 6 rioters, seditious conspiracy to deadly assault
What they were convicted of: 1,583 cases. One stroke of the pen. Hours after taking office for the second time, Trump nixed all charges stemming from the Capitol riot, even for those who perpetrated the most brutal assaults—calling them victims of a “grave national injustice.” At least 33 J6 insurrectionists have racked up new charges since the riot, including reckless homicide, domestic violence, terroristic threats, and home invasion.
Trump said: “Fuck it. Release ’em all.”
Dread Pirate Roberts, drug crimes and money laundering
What they were convicted of: Trump’s first individual pardon this term went to Ross Ulbricht, alias “Dread Pirate Roberts”: the libertarian architect of Silk Road, the original dark web black market. Though known as a drug bazaar, Silk Road originally moved everything from arms to stolen identities—Ulbricht used contacts he met through the site to order six hits on online enemies. His life sentence, the result of a massive federal operation, was wiped out on Trump’s second day.
Trump said: “The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me.”
Carlos Watson, securities fraud and identity theft
What they were convicted of: Through Ozy, his richly funded startup, Watson went from TV host to new media mogul—and then to convicted fraudster, after a Justice Department probe found that he had defrauded investors of some $60 million. Trump commuted Watson’s 10-year sentence on charges of wire fraud and identity theft, forcing the SEC to drop its efforts to collect restitution—and allowing him to keep tens of millions in ill-gotten gains.
Trump said: Nothing.
Tina Peters, identity theft, influencing a public servant
What they were convicted of: Colorado election clerk Peters, a Trump loyalist, was on the front line of the push to rig the 2020 election. Convicted of nine felonies for election interference, charges that centered on breaching voter data to “prove” Trump won Colorado, Peters is serving a nine-year prison term. Trump’s pardon meant nothing—Peters isn’t serving federal time—but he coupled it with a promise to punish Colorado if its governor didn’t free her.
Trump said: “If she is not released, I am going to take harsh measures!!!”
George Santos, wire fraud, campaign finance violations
What they were convicted of: Party monster George Santos spent less than a year in Congress—and, to all appearances, wanted to get caught. Santos was comically open about his corruption: straw donors who’d never heard of him; election funds gone to Botox, OnlyFans, and luxury shopping; a campaign built on weird, self-aggrandizing lies about his family, career, and non-existent college sports career. Trump, who granted him clemency weeks into a seven-year term, must have loved it.
Trump said: “At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
Rogues’ Gallery photo credits: Vincent Isore/IP3/Zuma, Gabriel Aponte/Vizzor Image/Getty, Tommy Garcia/USA Network/Getty, Eric Lee/Washington Post/Getty, GPB Capital Holdings, Unsplash (2), Gage Skidmore/Zuma, Britta Pedersen/DPA/Zuma, Marc Piscotty/Getty, Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Zuma
