Jennifer Roberts

JUST IN 🚨: U.S. National Debt surpasses $39 Trillion for the first time in history 🚨 Congrats everyone, we did it 🥳🫂

From today’s New York Times: Across both of his terms, Mr. Trump has granted clemency to more than 70 allies, donors and others convicted in fraud cases. In his second term, Mr. Trump’s pace of pardoning those convicted of fraud has increased. In the first year of his second term, he handed out nearly three dozen pardons and commutations for people accused of fraud. Mr. Trump is unabashed about using the government to reward friends and supporters and punish foes. Still, his handling of fraud cases stands out. Not only are there striking similarities between some of the crimes that were prosecuted and those that were pardoned, but the president also has excused some of those who have stolen the most. . . . . . Last March, Mr. Trump pardoned Trevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola, who had been sentenced to four years in prison on allegations he had defrauded his investors. Before Mr. Trump granted the pardon, his campaign received donations from Mr. Milton and his wife totaling more than $1.8 million. . . . . . Mr. Herrera and the others pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, but Mr. Trump pardoned them before sentencing. The clemency grants came after Mr. Herrera’s daughter, Isabela Herrera, donated $2.5 million in 2024 — and then another $1 million in 2025 — to MAGA Inc., a super PAC devoted to Mr. Trump and run by his allies. . . . . . Mr. Weinstein has not been as fortunate as Adriana Camberos. In 2021, Mr. Trump commuted the sentence she was serving for a fraud scheme involving fake energy drinks. A lawyer who had worked in the Trump White House assisted her with her case. Three years later, Ms. Camberos was convicted with her brother of defrauding food wholesalers. In January, Mr. Trump pardoned them both, with no explanation. _________________ Imagine that — a rich felon convicted of fraud excusing rich felons convicted of fraud … if the price is right. They say actions speak louder than words, and Trump’s actions on behalf of large-scale fraudsters speak as clearly as his actions on large-scale drug traffickers (see Trump pardoned drug traffickers including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and Silk Road online drug market founder Ross Ulbricht). Particularly galling is pardoning a fraudster who then goes out and frauds again and then scores a second fraud pardon. How do you square fraud x2/pardon x2 with the claim that you’re serious about cracking down on fraud? The old saying was “justice is blind.” The current saying is “you get as much justice as you can afford to buy.” If we’re serious about rooting out fraud, I know exactly where we should start.