Do Trump and the Republicans believe in the rule of law? They always seem to like to bill themselves as the party of law and order, but talk is cheap, and what I think we are experiencing is some pretty cheap talk. The President of the United States has the power to pardon people who committed a Federal Crime. Trump is using that power like no President has before. I know the first thing you are going to point out is that Biden pardoned his son. Yep, he did, and if I were in the same boat as he was, I would have done the same thing. Biden also issued pardons for all those who were going to be targets of Trump's retributions. Again, I would have done the same thing. I believe by doing that, Biden spared the country from many of Trump's retaliations and Trump's ability to weaponize the Justice Department against those who investigated Trump's crimes. I believe we would be in a bigger political mess if Biden had not done what he did. Trump is still weaponizing the Justice Department every chance he gets, but it could have been much worse.

One of the first actions Trump took was to pardon all the participants of the January 6^th insurrection. Trump campaigned on getting rid of all of the gangs, but I guess he doesn’t consider the Proud Boys and other White Supremacy gangs like the Oath Keepers the same threat to our democracy that I think that they are. What happened on January 6^th is the third worst act of terrorism I have seen in my lifetime—the worst, of course, is the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The second was the Oklahoma bombing of the Federal building. In all three instances, one of the purposes was to disrupt our government and our democracy. We fought two wars because of 9/11, and Timothy McVey was put to death because of the Oklahoma City bombing. Just like the other two, the January 6^th attack on our Capitol while Congress was in session was an attack on our Constitution and our Government. Why would I say that? Because Congress was in session, performing its Constitutional duty of certifying the 2020 election, which the Constitution requires. To call it anything different is just a lie. I watched along with the rest of the world as this attack on our democracy was broadcast live around the world. I watched our men in blue being mercilessly attacked by those domestic terrorists. You can call it what you want, but all the digital evidence will be here hundreds of years from now for future generations to see and judge for themselves.

Trump, in his not-so-infinite wisdom, has issued a pardon for Larry Hoover Sr., who was serving six life sentences at the ADX Florence prison in Colorado. The crimes that Hoover was found guilty of included murder, conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, and continuing to run a criminal enterprise while he was still in prison.  Hoover was the founder of the Gangster Disciples, a Chicago street gang that expanded to multiple cities around the country. Because Hoover has a sentence of 150 to 250 years in the State of Illinois for the murder of a 17-year-old in 1973, he will not be leaving jail soon, but to think Trump would think Hoover should be able to walk around free is not only appalling, it is also astounding. And to think that Republicans complained about Hunter Biden. Trump ran on cleaning up our cities, and then he wants to release a murderer and the head of one of the most notorious gangs in the country just because Kanye West is his buddy, and that is what his buddy wants him to do?

Trump continues to pardon people, and one thing that ties many of them together is that they have contributed money to Trump or aligned GOP causes. Trevor Milton, who defrauded investors about a clean energy truck that didn’t exist. Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist convicted of Campaign finance crimes.  Paul Walzcak, a Florida nursing home tycoon who was busted for tax crimes. Also, Brian Kelsey, a former GOP Tennessee State Senator who engaged in fraudulent campaign finance.  You could say, in Trump's presidency, money is one of the major motivating factors for getting a pardon from Trump.

Other pardons include Scott Jenkins, a Virginia sheriff who traded bribes for badges, who was convicted just last December by a jury on four counts of fraud and seven counts of bribery. The man sold auxiliary Sheriff Department badges for those willing to pay him.  Of course, the problem for Trump wasn’t that he committed fraud and bribery; the problem for Trump was that he was convicted by what he called an overzealous Department of Justice. A jury concluded that he was guilty, but what the hell, to Trump, that doesn’t count. He also pardoned Michele Fiore, a Nevada GOP official who pocketed money she fundraised for a fallen law enforcement officer monument. Here again, a federal jury convicted her just last year of six counts of wire fraud. Evidence was produced that she used some of the money for plastic surgery and her daughter's weddings. She was pardoned before she was even sentenced.

Trump is now going to look at the group convicted of plotting to kidnap the Michigan Governor and transporting her to Wisconsin to try her in their version of a court of law. Barry Croft and Adam Fox were charged in connection with a plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer. Over a dozen were charged, but most were not charged in federal court; however, the two ring leaders, Croft and Fox, were charged and convicted in federal court. I will say that Governor Whitmer was one of the first people to come out strongly against the assassination attempt on Trump, stating that there was no place for political violence in America. Looks like Trump does not agree. By pardoning all the January 6^th terrorists and now sounding like he may pardon kidnapping plotters, it looks like Trump is just fine with political violence.

All Presidents pardon people, but it looks like Trump uses a different formula when deciding who gets pardoned. One thing for sure is that Trump pardons people for one main reason, and that reason is that, as long as they support Trump financially or politically, there is nothing off the table.