In May, Department of Justice pardon attorney Ed Martin declared 'no MAGA left behind'. Within the first year of his second term, Donald Trump has issued a historic number of pardons for white-collar criminals and political allies accused of fraud, bribery and corruption.
Trump’s pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, once described by the Justice Department as central to 'the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world', has erased the work of former federal prosecutor Emil Bove. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move 'egregious, shameful and dangerous'.
Former Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer, fired by the Trump administration in March, said the president is 'liberally pardoning corrupt public officials who are charged with offenses that involve abusing their political offices to enrich themselves'. She described the pardon streak as a 'crisis' imperilling democracy.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has issued more than 1,600 acts of clemency, compared to 237 during his first term. Critics warn this recalls the corrupt 'spoils system' of political patronage. The advocacy coalition Not Above The Law accused Trump of declaring 'open season for corrupt politicians to use their offices for personal gain'.
