Pardoning Government Corruption

Chris Edwards

Donald Trump has been a frequent user of the presidential pardon power. The power can be used beneficially to correct miscarriages of justice. But the president appears to be using it to reward friends and political allies.

This post examines Trump’s pardons of individuals convicted of public corruption, which generally involves elected and career officials stealing public funds or accepting bribes to hand out government benefits.

Most federal, state, and local...