By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 6, 2025 | Though President Trump has embarrassed us nationally and internationally again and again, we are most distressed over his wholesale pardoning of so many people convicted by our criminal justice system. He is making a mockery of the courts by granting clemency to many who have contributed to him in some financial manner.
It all started the very day he took office for his second term, January 20, 2025, when Trump issued pardons to over 1,500 individuals, primarily related to the January 6th Capitol attack. These pardons were granted as executive clemency to those charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses.
During his first term, President Trump was not so generous with pardons, granting executive clemency (pardons) a total of 237 times. This was fewer than many modern presidents. For example, Barack Obama granted nearly 1,927 pardons during his presidency.
Since January 21, Donald Trump has issued pardon after pardon to people convicted of crimes such as murder, running gangs, being drug kingpins, those involved in ire fraud and those convicted in many forms of conspiracy.
Think of the victims of these people who were convicted of all sorts of crimes. Think how they must feel when they see such an obvious miscarriage of justice from these pardons!
Many of those convicted criminals getting pardons were ordered to pay restitution to their victims. But Trump’s action in granting a pardon means these convicted felons will now not have to pay the restitution ordered. The victims: they are left penniless.
For instance, in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Georgia, reality television stars Julie and Todd Chrisley got a Trump pardon. Julie Chrisley was sentenced to spend 84 months in prison, and remit $4.7 million to her victims, while Todd Chrisley’s prison sentence was for 144 months and was ordered to return $17 million. They were sentenced in 2022 on bank fraud and tax evasion charges.
The list of those pardons goes on and on. For an extensive list of people granted pardons in 2025, go to the Office of the Pardon Attorney
The state of Georgia had its own problem with pardons in the 1930s era. The governor at that time, Ed Rivers, was implicated in a money-for-pardons scandal. Turns out that the governor’s chauffeur was part of the alleged scheme, bringing pardons to prisoners in exchange for cash. While the charges against the governor were eventually dropped, this scandal led to a fundamental reform on parole in Georgia.
Today, Georgia operates a State Board of Pardons and Parole, a five-member body appointed by the governor for staggered seven-year terms. It is authorized to grant parole and pardons. It was created in 1943 by a constitutional amendment.
At the national level, the Office of the Pardon Attorney is part of the U.S. Department of Justice, which reviews requests for pardons. However, President Trump routinely bypasses this office, with most of his pardons to people “well-connected,” who have not even filed requests for pardons.
The many Trump pardons result in a sorry state of affairs. It smells to high heaven, and puts convicted criminals on the street, which does nothing to restore confidence or fairness in our government.
Many presidents, apparently including Joe Biden near the end of his term, have stretched the bounds of pardons. But the crass manner of the Trump pardons, and the association of people with money or influence who find ways to get close to the president, makes this not only highly unusual, but distasteful and sickening. It does nothing to increase faith in our system or the presidency.
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