Have you noticed how little self-awareness Democrats have? Donald Trump's decision to pardon Sheriff Scott Jenkins, who was convicted of accepting bribes, and reality television couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to defraud the United States, has sent the left into full hysteria mode.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Trump’s use of the pardon power sent them into hysterics. Just a few months ago, they were howling over his decision to pardon 1,500 January 6 defendants, many of whom were victims of Biden’s political witch hunt.
Their outrage is as predictable as it is pathetic. These are the same Democrats who spent years weaponizing selective outrage while pretending to occupy some imaginary moral high ground. But after Joe Biden’s shameless clemency spree — doling out pardons like Halloween candy to criminals and drug offenders—their credibility is shot.
That’s what makes this whole tantrum so satisfying: the same people who looked the other way while Biden trampled the integrity of the pardon power now want to lecture Trump on its proper use. Spare us.
What do you notice about this chart? pic.twitter.com/wbObs8McV2
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) January 20, 2025
Look at that chart and tell me who was abusing their pardon power.
But that’s not what the left wants to talk about. To them, the problem is Trump.
Former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer, who's been throwing a tantrum since getting fired earlier this year, whined during a recent interview that "Pardons are normally reserved for people who show remorse for a crime they have been convicted of and who have actually served at least some and typically all of their sentence and have shown personal growth and rehabilitation during that time."
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She then accused the Trump administration of "using pardons in a completely different and new way, which is to reward people who demonstrate political loyalty to the administration."
Really? That's rich coming from someone who apparently suffered selective amnesia about Biden's pardon spree.
I’m not even here to argue that these pardons by Trump were justified. People can legitimately disagree with some of Trump's pardons. I don't personally support every single one. But Democrats acting like they've never seen questionable pardons before? Do they really want to go there?
Biden didn't just pardon his crack-addicted son Hunter for any federal crimes committed during a specific timeframe; he extended blanket pardons to several family members, too.
Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons for members of his own family or the January 6 Committee members don’t exactly fit the historic norms for pardons, now do they? These weren't mercy pardons for reformed criminals; they were 100% political protection rackets designed to keep his allies safe from investigation.
How about the preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and Gen. Mark Milley? Pardons are meant to correct wrongs of the legal system, not shield your allies and family from accountability.
Where was the Democratic outrage then? Crickets. Absolute silence from the same people now clutching their pearls over Trump's decisions.
And at least Trump didn’t use an autopen.
These Democrats don't actually care about pardon ethics or constitutional principles. They only care about the letter after the president's name. When their guy does it, it's justified and necessary. When Trump does it, it's an assault on democracy itself.
This selective moral outrage perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with the Democrats. They've weaponized institutions, politicized justice, and now they're shocked — shocked! — that Trump won't play by their rigged rules.
The American people see right through this charade. Democrats had their chance to set standards during Biden's administration, and they chose partisan protection over principle. Now they want to lecture Trump about proper pardon protocol?
