No One Knows How Trump’s Pardon Process Actually Works
Donald Trump’s pardoning process has devolved into something that doesn’t make sense to anybody invested in the process.
After issuing thousands of pardons within hours of returning to office, Trump’s pardon pipeline went silent, even going so far as to ice out the woman tapped to handle the case load, “pardon czar” Alice Marie Johnson, who was cancelled on several times by the president.
Now, months into Trump’s second year, practically no one understands how to navigate Trump’s opaque pardon requirements, according to nearly a dozen sources that spoke with NOTUS. Those unidentified sources included lobbyists, attorneys, as well as White House insiders.
“There is no process, there is no right way to do this,” one individual involved in the process told the digital publication. “It’s chaos.”
A senior White House official rejected that characterization, telling NOTUS that there is a “defined process” in place to manage pardons.
“There has been no change to the pardon process,” another White House official said. “The Administration has always had a robust review process which involves the Department of Justice, Alice Johnson, and the White House Counsel’s office. Ultimately President Trump is the final decider. Susie is simply ensuring the process, which has always existed, is followed.”
But there is speculation that Johnson was pushed to the fringe over concerns that the public would not take kindly to the pardons, which all too often carry a covert personal tie or benefit for the president. Some of the controversial recipients of Trump’s forgiveness include some 1,600 January 6 defendants, as well as the alleged co-conspirators of his 2020 election interference case, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Boris Epshteyn, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, and 72 others.
Conservatives have reportedly been dismayed by the lack of progress, wondering why Trump opted to appoint Johnson if he never intended to allow her to do her job.
“If you elevate someone to a role like pardon czar and create a new pardon office, you should use it to carry out your goals,” a Republican operative told NOTUS.
Yet Trump has set no time on his schedule to meet with clemency advisers, an official told NOTUS.