Acerbic Politics

The New York Times editorial board on Tuesday tore into President Donald Trump for his corrupt and rapid-fire use of pardons, breaking down the "crime spree" that his recipients have gone on and the "mayhem" they have created as a result.

In the past, despite some questionable instances, presidents have generally strained to be careful about their use of pardons, fearing the "backlash" that could occur if a pardoned individual reoffended. For that reason and others, they have generally waited until the end of their time in office to issue pardons, to mitigate their exposure to any blowback. All of these principles, however, have gone out the window under Trump.

"President Trump has abandoned this approach. His self-serving pardons are so numerous that public attention cannot keep up with them," the NYT board explained. "It is a version of the strategy that his former adviser Steve Bannon has described as 'flood the zone': Do so much so fast that people cannot follow the consequences. He has created a veritable pardon industry, in which people with White House connections accept payments from wealthy convicts. Among those on whom he has bestowed freedom are dozens of people convicted of fraud."

Worst among this onslaught of pardons, the board argued, was Trump's blanket pardons for everyone who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the results of which "have been disastrous."

"At least 12 of the pardoned rioters have since been charged with other serious crimes, including child molestation, assault, harassment, murder plots and charges related to a vicious dog attack," the board explained. "The outcome was predictable. Critics, including this board, had warned that Mr. Trump’s pardons would embolden the rioters by signaling that crime has no consequences. One does not have to be a criminologist to predict that people who commit a violent act and are absolved of any punishment might become repeat offenders."