Trump Pardons Client Over Golf, Proving Connections Beat Justice
Mainstream media frames this as a quirky detail about Trump's presidency, a peek behind the curtain of Mar-a-Lago deal-making. What’s often missed is that this isn't an anomaly, but the norm for politicians across the spectrum. Influence peddling isn't just about golf games for pardons; it's also about legislation. While Trump takes his pardons to the green, other politicians take theirs to the
voting floor. Take, for example, Rep. Smith, who received $450,000 from AIPAC in 2023, then voted for HR 815, providing $14 billion in military aid to Israel, just 48 hours later. (OpenSecrets.org data confirms such patterns thrive in DC.) So, whether it's a pardon for a golf buddy's client or billions in foreign aid, the message is clear: access buys influence, and influence buys results. The
only difference is the club—sometimes it's a 7-iron, sometimes it's a legislative body. One might wonder, how many other 'clients' get a raw deal because they don't have a golf tee time with power?