President Donald Trump’s recent spate of pardons, including a controversial decision to free former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, has reportedly caught many of his senior aides and closest advisors by surprise. Sources indicate that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other top officials were not given advance notice of the pardon for Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence for cocaine smuggling.
Despite overwhelming evidence presented at his trial, which included testimony describing Hernández’s alleged boasts of drug trafficking plans, Trump asserted that the former Honduran leader had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.” The president claimed the prosecution was a “Biden setup,” even though investigations into Hernández’s conduct predated the current administration and involved federal prosecutors who later served in Trump’s own Justice Department.
Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, who had actively lobbied for Hernández’s pardon, also expressed astonishment at the swiftness of the release. Trump, admitting to knowing “very little” about the specifics of the case, suggested the pardon was granted at the request of political allies who believed Hernández was unfairly targeted and whose release would benefit a right-wing, Trump-aligned candidate in Honduras.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has frequently exercised his pardon power, a presidential authority largely unchecked by the courts. This power, derived from the British Royal Prerogative of Mercy, allows for significant executive action. Immediately upon taking office, he issued broad pardons to individuals convicted of crimes related to the January 6th Capitol riot.
Trump’s clemency decisions have often benefited wealthy and well-connected individuals, as well as Republican politicians accused of corruption. He has frequently alleged that these individuals were politically targeted, a narrative he employed again with the recent pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, a business associate of his son.
In a notable instance, Trump also granted clemency to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar. He specifically cited Cuellar’s opposition to the Biden administration’s border policies as a reason for his perceived unfair targeting, a move that drew criticism given Cuellar’s subsequent re-election campaign as a Democrat.
