Overview
- Liz Oyer, who led the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney until March, writes that Trump’s latest clemencies mark a systemic departure from longstanding vetting and restraint.
- Representative Henry Cuellar’s full pardon earlier this month made him the 11th elected official to receive clemency from Trump this year, according to Oyer.
- Oyer highlights that the Cuellar decision followed Trump’s rare pardon of a former foreign head of state, ex‑Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández.
- She contends wealthy applicants are bypassing the traditional DOJ process via well‑connected intermediaries, with moneyed influence shaping outcomes rather than remorse and rehabilitation.
- In separate conservative commentary, Cuellar’s quick move to seek reelection as a Democrat drew Trump’s public criticism for disloyalty after the pardon.