Pardons

mccloskeys Aug. 4, 2021

Gun-Waving McCloskeys Get PardonedIt’s nice to have sympathizers in high places.

By Benjamin Hart

criminal justice July 5, 2021

When Will Joe Biden Start Using His Clemency Powers?The president has signaled he wants to grant more pardons and commutations. The time to begin is now.

By Zak Cheney-Rice

pardons Dec. 8, 2020

Trump Will Reportedly Pardon Anyone With a PulseFeel like you’re been wronged? Just want some excitement in your life? You could be next.

By Benjamin Hart

trump pardons Dec. 8, 2020

Everyone Trump Might Pardon Before He Leaves OfficeFrom his three eldest children to Tiger King’s Joe Exotic, there are a number of people the president may try to pardon — including himself.

By Charlotte Klein

pardons Dec. 3, 2020

DOJ Investigating ‘Bribery-for-Pardon’ Scheme Involving White HouseGOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy and Jared Kushner’s lawyer were reportedly enlisted in a plot to trade clemency for an ally for a “substantial” sum.

By Matt Stieb

pardons Feb. 19, 2020

The Lesson Trump Pardonees Learned in Prison: Prison Is Brutal and UnfairThe Trump era is marked by many people’s dawning realization of how awful prison is when they personally have to endure it.

By Zak Cheney-Rice

pardons Feb. 18, 2020

President Trump’s Big Day of Pardons and CommutationsOn Tuesday, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 11 felons convicted of fraud, drug trafficking, selling a Senate seat, and more.

By Matt Stieb

war crimes Nov. 18, 2019

Trump’s War-Crimes Pardons Invite the Mayhem He LovesAn outlaw president naturally wants to celebrate outlaw behavior in the military, too.

By Ed Kilgore

war crimes June 5, 2019

Trump Steps Back From Plan to Pardon War Criminals: ReportBacklash from veterans reportedly caused the president to rethink his plan to pardon convicted and alleged war criminals around Memorial Day.

By Matt Stieb

memorial day May 22, 2019

Military Brass Warn Trump Against Memorial Day Pardons for War CriminalsCurrent and former military leaders think it’s a terrible way to celebrate Memorial Day.

By Ed Kilgore

war crimes May 20, 2019

Will Trump Go Nixonian With Clemency for American War Criminals?Trump is reportedly mulling clemency for several men accused of war crimes, reminiscent of Nixon beneficiary William Calley.

By Ed Kilgore

rule of law May 19, 2019

Trump Wants to Make War Criminals Great AgainThe pardon-happy president seems set to celebrate Memorial Day by disregarding core principles of service and military justice.

By Chas Danner

white house May 16, 2019

Here’s Everyone Trump Has PardonedConservative folk heroes, activists, and one long-deceased boxer.

By Adam K. Raymond

pardons May 16, 2019

Trump Pardons Billionaire Friend Conrad Black, Who Wrote Glowing Book About HimBlack wrote that Trump isn’t racist, and was convicted of obstruction of justice after siphoning money from his newspaper. No wonder Trump likes him.

By Matt Stieb

war crimes May 7, 2019

Trump Pardons Former Soldier Who Murdered Naked Iraqi PrisonerMichael Behenna drove a detainee into the desert, stripped him naked, then shot him dead. He was already on parole before the pardon.

By Eric Levitz

russia investigation Mar. 28, 2019

Trump Won’t Rule Out Pardons Despite Advice From Wary Advisers“I don’t want to talk about pardons now, but I can say it’s so sad on so many levels,” Trump told Hannity Wednesday.

By Adam K. Raymond

pardons Aug. 23, 2018

Fox News Host: Trump Said He’d ‘Consider’ Manafort PardonTrump may be testing the waters in an upcoming interview, though legal experts and Senate Republicans warn that pardoning Manafort is a bad idea.

By Margaret Hartmann

the national interest June 10, 2018

The Rule of Law Is Crumbling Further Each Day Under TrumpFootball, pardons, and the authoritarian nightmare.

By Jonathan Chait

June 8, 2018

Trump Floats Pardon of Muhammad Ali, Who Doesn’t Need OneThe boxing great’s conviction for draft evasion was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1971.

By Adam K. Raymond

the national interest June 1, 2018

Trump Is Probing the Constitution for Weaknesses, and Finding ThemThe president discovering seemingly innocuous power to impose tariffs and hand out pardons has potential for abuse.

By Jonathan Chait

June 1, 2018

Why Trump Isn’t Pardoning Allies Caught in the Mueller Probe — YetHis recent pardons may be a signal to figures like Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, but don’t expect him to try the risky maneuver anytime soon.

By Margaret Hartmann

May 24, 2018

What the Hell Was Sylvester Stallone Doing at the White House?President Trump posthumously pardoned an all-time great boxer Thursday, and a guy who played a boxer in a movie was on hand to witness it.

By Adam K. Raymond

Apr. 18, 2018

New York AG Calls for Closing Presidential Pardon LoopholeRight now, if Trump pardons cronies for a federal offense, New York can’t prosecute them for crimes related to the same act.

By Eric Levitz

Mar. 30, 2016