How Trump's pardons stack up to his predecessors
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President Trump increased his total number of pardons to seven on Tuesday by granting clemency to two Oregon cattle ranchers, Dwight Lincoln Hammond and his son, Steven Hammond, who were imprisoned for setting fire to federal land.
The big picture: While he still lags far behind many of his predecessors in overall pardons, Trump is the first president since George H.W. Bush to grant a pardon within the first two years of his presidency. H. W.'s pardons in his first year were all related to the Iran-Contra affair.
- Last month, a White House official told the Washington Post that Trump was "obsessed" with pardons, calling them the president’s new "favorite thing" to talk about.
The details:
- At the end of May, Martha Stewart and Rod Blagojevich were floated as potential Trump pardons after his controversial pardon of Dinesh D'Souza.
- In June, Trump commuted Alice Johnson's sentence after the 63-year-old's case was championed by Kim Kardashian West.
- CNN reported shortly after Johnson's commutation that the White House had prepared pardon paperwork for at least more 30 people.
- Trump has said that he will ask athletes who kneel during the national anthem to suggest people he should pardon.
- He has also requested additional names for potential pardons from various criminal justice advocacy groups.
Why it matters: Trump has gone so far as to say that he had the "absolute right" to pardon himself — something legal experts debate. Many critics are worried Trump will ultimately use his pardon power in conjunction with the Mueller investigation.
- Yes, but: Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said that he's advised Trump not to issue any pardons during the Mueller investigation, but noted that "when it's over," Trump can do as he pleases.
Go deeper: "The Pardon Game": Trump's Celebrity Edition.
