Donald Trump began his second term in office with mass pardons for everyone convicted of January 6th offenses — yes, even the violent ones. The move reeks of naked partisanism, as those who would literally take to the streets in defense of Leader Trump were rewarded for the fealty.
But Trump is now using the extraordinary power of the executive in a superficial nonpartisan, but still decidedly corrupt ways.
Yesterday, Trump issued a full pardon for former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Blago was convicted of trying to sell Barack Obama’s senate seat after he won the 2008 presidential election amongst other crimes, as reported by NBC News:
Blagojevich was convicted in 2009 of lying to an FBI agent. Jurors deadlocked on other counts. At his 2011 retrial, he was found guilty on all counts, after government recordings revealed his attempts to sell Obama’s seat. He was also convicted of shaking down a children’s hospital executive for campaign contributions and holding up a bill involving the horse-racing industry in exchange for campaign contributions.
NBC helpfully follows this up with a particularly relevant tidbit: “In between the trials, he was a contestant on Trump’s reality TV show ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ in 2010.” Ahhhh, there you have it.
In Trump’s first term as president, he commuted Blagojevich’s sentence — after watching the disgraced former governor’s wife on TV talking smack about his enemies (Robert Muller and James Comey) while she pleaded for her husband’s release.
But that’s not the only victory yesterday for Democrats accused of being on the take.
Trump’s Department of Justice directed prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to drop their case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams was to face trial in April on charges of conspiracy, bribery, and solicitation of foreign campaign contributions. But Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the dismissal of the case “without assessing the strength of the evidence or the legal theories on which the case is based,” because Adams needs to “devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior administration.”
And, of course, let’s not forget the time and effort Adams spent being a sycophant, and blessing Trump’s agenda.
These moves are a victory for the twin pillars of the Trump administration — corruption and obsequiousness. And a blow for justice.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].