Trump Pardons 77 'Allies,' Forgetting Presidential Pardon Has Limits
Axios dutifully reports on former President Trump's pardon spree for Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, and 74 other individuals involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The report notes, almost as an afterthought, that most of these individuals face state charges, which a presidential pardon cannot touch. It's a critical distinction—federal clemency has no bearing on state
prosecutions for alleged 'fake' electors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, or Nevada. So, a declaration of 'full, complete and unconditional' pardon by Trump's pick for pardon attorney, Ed Martin—who proudly declared 'No MAGA left behind'—serves mostly as a political performance, not a legal shield, for many of these individuals. This isn't justice; it's a defiant middle finger to the rule of law. We
saw variations of this playbook during the Trump administration's foreign policy—bluster and declarations, often without real-world legal or diplomatic effect. One might wonder if the efficacy of these pardons is as flimsy as many of his 'deals' that never materialized.