For all of his “tough on crime” chest-thumping, Donald Trump appears to have a soft spot for drug traffickers. The day after his second inauguration, for example, the president pardoned a man convicted of creating a massive online black market for illegal drugs.
Last week, however, the Republican went considerably further, pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted last year in a sweeping drug-trafficking case and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Even by 2025 standards, the developments were breathtaking: As The New York Times summarized, Hernández “orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy” that benefited drug cartels, even as Honduras grew poorer, more violent and more corrupt.
He also boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses” and accepted a $1 million bribe to allow cocaine shipments to pass through his country.
Trump, however, freed him anyway — to the great surprise of both Hondurans and U.S. officials who had invested enormous resources in building a successful case against the former leader.
Soon after, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer drew attention to an Axios report that quoted a Trump adviser who conceded, “How we justify this is really hard.”
On some Sunday shows over the weekend, some of the White House’s most reliable Capitol Hill allies were pressed for their reactions. It did not go well.
On NBC, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker reminded Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas that Trump pardoned a man “who trafficked more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States.” She specifically asked, “How does that make America safer?”
The senator professed ignorance. “Well, I haven’t spoken to the president about that pardon,” Cotton replied, adding, “I’d have to know more about the circumstances.”
On ABC’s “This Week,” an exchange between George Stephanopoulos and Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri went in an even less constructive direction.
When the host asked the senator whether he agrees with the Hernández pardon, Schmitt, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, replied, “I’m not familiar with the facts or circumstances.”
Stephanopoulos appeared surprised. “What do you mean, you’re not familiar with the facts and circumstances of the pardon?” he asked, adding, “It’s been front-page news across the country. Aren’t you curious about that?”
Unable to address the substance, Schmitt responded by attacking the ABC anchor’s integrity, accusing Stephanopoulos of spewing “Democrat [sic] talking points.”
Audiences were left with a couple of possible explanations. Either these U.S. senators were clueless about an indefensible presidential pardon that generated national and international attention, or Schmitt and Cotton were pretending to be clueless because they didn’t have a way to defend the indefensible.
My money is on the latter.
As for the convicted drug trafficker himself, Hernández issued an online statement on Friday, specifically thanking Republican operative Roger Stone and failed attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz for their roles in helping make his pardon a reality. The former Honduran president went on to express his gratitude to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Ed Martin, the Justice Department’s MAGA pardon attorney.
