Blue Press Journal (DC) – In a move that has left even his staunchest political allies perplexed, Donald Trump has issued a presidential pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández, the former two-term president of Honduras. This isn’t a pardon for a minor offense or a miscarriage of justice; Hernández was serving a 45-year sentence after being convicted in June 2024 for being what the U.S. Justice Department called “at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.”
The pardon raises a jarring and fundamental question: How does a leader who advocates for bombing drug smuggling boats and potentially invading Venezuela to stop trafficking simultaneously release one of the most powerful narco-politicians of the modern era?
The sheer scale of Hernández’s crimes makes the pardon all the more staggering. The former president was found guilty of conspiring to import more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. He used his position—from congressman to president—to shield his operation, accepting millions of dollars in bribes from notorious traffickers, including the Sinaloa Cartel once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. His conviction was seen as a landmark victory in the global war on drugs. Now, that victory has been nullified with the stroke of a pen.
The move has created a firestorm of confusion, and the criticism is not just coming from the usual political opponents. Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not mince words when speaking with reporters.
“I hate it. It’s a horrible message,” Tillis stated bluntly, capturing the sentiment of many who see the decision as a profound contradiction of Trump’s own hawkish rhetoric on border security and drug interdiction. “It’s confusing to say on the one hand we should potentially even consider invading Venezuela for drug traffick[ing], and on the other hand let somebody go.”
Tillis systematically dismantled the potential justifications for such a pardon. For those who might claim Hernández was a victim of a politically motivated prosecution, the Senator offered a crucial fact check. “Some were saying maybe it was a vindicative prosecution. The investigation started during the Trump administration. The trial, I think, occurred during the Biden administration. So it doesn’t check that box,” he explained.
This point is critical. The very administration that has now pardoned Hernández is the one that initiated the investigation into his crimes. This isn’t about correcting an injustice perpetrated by a political rival; it’s about reversing the work of his own Justice Department.
The pardon appears to have been issued without a clear rationale or even a formal request, adding to the sense of impulsive decision-making. “I don’t even know if there was a formal request for a pardon,” Tillis added. “I just think it’s horrible optics. I mean, we’re sending a mixed message.”
A “mixed message” is an understatement. To law enforcement agencies in Central America and the U.S. agents who spent years building a complex and dangerous case against a corrupt head of state, the message is one of betrayal. To the cartels and narco-politicians who watched Hernández’s fall, the message is one of hope—that power and influence can ultimately erase accountability.
What, then, is the point? Is there a hidden diplomatic strategy at play, or is this simply an act of chaos that undermines years of U.S. foreign policy and anti-drug efforts by Trump? As Washington grapples with the fallout, the only thing that remains clear is the deep incoherence at the heart of this decision. One day, the policy is to wage war on narco-traffickers; the next, it is to set one of their most powerful leaders free. THE QUESTION IS, has Trump lost his mind or is he just full of BS.
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