Pardons, The Mess: A Potential Fix To The Executive Clemency Disaster

BusinessPolicyPardons, The Mess: A Potential Fix To The Executive Clemency DisasterByRobert Radick,Contributor.for Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PCFollow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 10:58am EDTJun 01, 2026, 10:58am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Pardons, The MessiStockOn the heels of the prior administration’s pardoning of Hunter Biden, a decision that itself provoked criticism from across the political and legal spectrums, the Trump administration has only intensified the widespread use of the executive clemency power for questionable purposes. On January 20, 2025, his first day in office, the President took the deeply controversial step of issuing pardons and commutations to over 1,500 people convicted in connection with the riots at the United States Capitol, including members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who had been sentenced to substantial terms of imprisonment for seditious conspiracy. From that unprecedented starting point, the administration has gone on to pardon or commute the sentences of, among others, political allies (including 77 individuals associated with the “fake electors” scheme); politicians convicted of other corruption-related charges (Rod Blagojevich, George Santos, Henry Cuellar); businessmen convicted of substantial frauds (Trevor Milton, Carlos Watson, Philip Esformes); and defendants convicted on substantial drug-related charges (including Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras). Moreover, rather than shy away from publicizing these presidential pardons and commutations, the Department of Justice maintains a regularly updated webpage that identifies every person who has benefitted from a pardon or commutation in the president’s second term. The Consequences of Extensive Executive PardonsAlthough the current administration’s aggressive use of the executive pardon power is no longer a new topic, recent news articles have...