Overview
- Juan Orlando Hernández received a full presidential pardon signed Dec. 1 and was released from a West Virginia federal prison on Dec. 2, according to his wife and Bureau of Prisons records.
- Hernández had been convicted in New York and sentenced to 45 years for conspiring to move more than 400 tons of cocaine to the United States and related weapons offenses.
- Honduras’ electoral authority declared a “technical tie,” with Nasry Asfura leading Salvador Nasralla by 515 votes, and ordered a manual verification of tally sheets after digital reporting stalled.
- President Trump endorsed Asfura, threatened to cut U.S. aid if he loses, and warned there would be “hell to pay” if authorities try to change the result.
- The White House called the Hernández case prosecutorial overreach, while U.S. lawmakers from both parties criticized the pardon and OAS observers noted that delays and technical problems could heighten tensions.