Donald Trump is handing out pardons like party favors—and this time, even Republicans are starting to squirm.
The president’s latest round of pardons has sparked outrage not just from Democrats, but from members of his own party, as well as law enforcement officials. Trump has been using his clemency power to pardon loyal supporters—some of whom donated heavily to his campaigns or helped promote his “Make America Great Again” movement.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) didn’t hold back: “I think that when the president pardons someone, they need to carefully explain why injustice was done,” he said. “And I think pardons should be rare, and President Trump likes pardons much more than I do.”
In recent weeks, Trump has pardoned:
A former Virginia sheriff convicted of trying to sell deputy badges
A Las Vegas politician who stole money meant for a fallen officer’s memorial
A convicted tax cheat whose mother helped raise millions for Republicans
Two reality TV stars busted for bank fraud and tax evasion
To many, it looks less like justice and more like rewards for political loyalty.
“No MAGA left behind,” wrote Ed Martin, Trump’s new and controversial pardon attorney, in a social media post.
But the biggest shock came when Trump pardoned hundreds of January 6 rioters—including over 200 who were charged with assaulting police officers. Many have since been rearrested for new crimes.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is among those disturbed by it. “On its face, you got to be pretty careful,” he said. “I’m pretty well staked out on about two or three hundred of Jan. 6 people who never should have been pardoned.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) called for more structure: “The best approach is to follow a process and make decisions after a recommendation from a parole board or the Department of Justice.”
But there’s a problem—there are no rules. The Constitution gives the president unlimited power to pardon. He doesn’t need to consult anyone. Not Congress. Not DOJ. Not even his own advisors.
That’s why Rounds says change would be tough: “The only way you’re going to fix it or change it would be, I think, through a constitutional amendment, and that would take a long time to do. I think just the American people being aware of it is an important part of this discussion.”
Others, like Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are dodging the topic altogether. When asked about Trump’s pardons, he shot back: “Nobody asked me about the 2,500 pardons that [Bill] Clinton gave, and so I’m not going to make any comments on pardons that Trump makes.”
Meanwhile, Trump has been busy accusing President Biden of hiding a “cognitive decline” and abusing the autopen to sign pardons and documents. He ordered an investigation into Biden’s actions just days ago, claiming the president’s team is covering things up.
Biden hit back hard in a statement: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”
But while Trump attacks Biden, his own pardon list keeps growing—and even his allies are starting to ask: Where does it end?
