Who's Getting a Break from President Trump?

President Trump has been handing out pardons and sentence reductions like candy. Recently, he pardoned former aide Rudy Giuliani, ex-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and others accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election results. But that's not all. He's also shown mercy to former U. S. Rep. George Santos and the ex-CEO of a cryptocurrency exchange, Changpeng Zhao. Trump's pardons seem to have a pattern. Many of the people he's helping out have ties to him or his politics. This isn't new. Past presidents have also pardoned their friends and allies. But Trump is doing it more openly and frequently, especially in his second term. Take George Santos, for example. He's a disgraced New York Republican who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. Trump commuted his prison sentence in mid-October. Then, just days later, Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. Binance has ties to the Trump family's cryptocurrency business, but Trump claims he doesn't know Zhao. U. S. presidents have broad powers to pardon people convicted of federal crimes. This power comes from English law, where the king had the "prerogative of mercy" as early as the seventh century. Trump has used this power to help a wide range of people, from nonviolent drug offenders to white-collar criminals. But his pardons in his second term seem to be more about politics. Trump isn't the first president to show leniency to political allies. Bill Clinton pardoned Mark Rich, a former hedge-fund manager whose ex-wife donated to Democratic causes. George W. Bush commuted the sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. But Trump's pardons seem to be more about making political statements. In his second term, Trump has pardoned some 1, 500 defendants convicted of taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the U. S. Capitol. He's also pardoned former Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, an ardent Trump supporter who was convicted of taking bribes. When Trump pardoned Santos, he said on social media that Santos had "the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! " Trump's pardons have also benefited some of his political backers who were convicted of corruption. In February, he pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat. In May, he pardoned former Cincinnati City Council member P. G. Sittenfeld, also a Democrat, who was convicted of bribery and attempted extortion. Some people think Trump may see himself in these politicians' situations. He's characterized his own recent prosecutions as politically motivated. Maybe he feels a connection to other politicians who have been prosecuted. The White House has contrasted Trump's approach to the clemency process with former President Joe Biden's. Biden has used an autopen to issue pardons and sign other official documents. Trump has ordered an investigation into Biden's use of the autopen. But Trump's pardons have also raised questions about the clemency application process. It's unclear whether the formal process is currently resulting in clemency grants in any significant numbers. Some people are focusing on who's not getting grants, like those who have served long prison terms and rehabilitated themselves. Trump appointed Alice Johnson as his "pardon czar" in February. Johnson was pardoned for a nonviolent drug offense by Trump during his first term after her story got the attention and advocacy of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian.