US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would grant Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, a full and complete pardon for three counts of drug trafficking and weapons charges. Hernández was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to 45 years in prison, but Trump's pardon could potentially erase his conviction.
Hernández's case is notable because it involves allegations of collusion between state forces and criminals, which has been documented by US investigators among US-tied government officials in Honduras. During his trial, Hernández cited his ties to US officials so frequently that the prosecution objected at least 43 times. The judge even noted that Hernández had visited the White House and met several Presidents.
The pardon comes as a shock to civil servants with knowledge of Hernández's case, but it is not surprising given Trump's history of supporting authoritarian figures. In 2019, Hernández paid over half a million dollars to a lobbying firm to wipe his cocaine-tarnished image in Washington. The lobbyists also hosted campaign fundraisers and contributed $34,000 to then-Sen. Marco Rubio.
Critics have argued that the idea of "cartels" offers an insufficient framework for understanding complex criminal networks like Hernández's. Instead, it appears that Hernández was part of a larger system of corruption and violence that has plagued Honduras under his presidency.
The pardon also comes as US President Joe Biden celebrates declining opioid deaths in recent years as a result of the administration's efforts to attack the root causes of the drug trade. However, some have argued that the US government's approach has focused too much on targeting low-level traffickers and not enough on addressing the systemic issues driving the crisis.
The pardon is just the latest example of Trump's authoritarian tendencies. Court orders are being ignored, MAGA loyalists are in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies, and news outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.
Hernández's case highlights the challenges faced by those who seek to hold leaders accountable for their actions. The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.
Hernández's case is notable because it involves allegations of collusion between state forces and criminals, which has been documented by US investigators among US-tied government officials in Honduras. During his trial, Hernández cited his ties to US officials so frequently that the prosecution objected at least 43 times. The judge even noted that Hernández had visited the White House and met several Presidents.
The pardon comes as a shock to civil servants with knowledge of Hernández's case, but it is not surprising given Trump's history of supporting authoritarian figures. In 2019, Hernández paid over half a million dollars to a lobbying firm to wipe his cocaine-tarnished image in Washington. The lobbyists also hosted campaign fundraisers and contributed $34,000 to then-Sen. Marco Rubio.
Critics have argued that the idea of "cartels" offers an insufficient framework for understanding complex criminal networks like Hernández's. Instead, it appears that Hernández was part of a larger system of corruption and violence that has plagued Honduras under his presidency.
The pardon also comes as US President Joe Biden celebrates declining opioid deaths in recent years as a result of the administration's efforts to attack the root causes of the drug trade. However, some have argued that the US government's approach has focused too much on targeting low-level traffickers and not enough on addressing the systemic issues driving the crisis.
The pardon is just the latest example of Trump's authoritarian tendencies. Court orders are being ignored, MAGA loyalists are in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies, and news outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.
Hernández's case highlights the challenges faced by those who seek to hold leaders accountable for their actions. The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.
this pardon is a huge problem... like, how can we trust anyone who's friends with trump? his history is all about helping out corrupt people and getting richer 
it's not surprising that he'd do this for hernandez, especially considering hernandez's ties to the white house 
and his own shady past 
The whole thing reeks of Trump's authoritarian tendencies 
. He's been making moves to silence critics and undermine the system for ages. It's like he thinks he can just do whatever he wants and nobody will call him out on it 
. And now this pardon comes along and basically erases Hernández's conviction? It's a total abuse of power. The fact that Trump has such close ties to Honduras and its government officials is also super concerning 
like what does he want to accomplish by granting pardon to hernandez?? 
Hernandez's case is so shady tbh, all those ties to us officials and stuff... it's just too suspicious for me 
still can't believe we live in a world where leaders can just pardon themselves and get away with crimes 
. The Intercept should definitely be on top of this, tho 
i'm also lowkey worried about the impact this will have on honduras and the fact that trump has been supporting authoritarian figures for years is just wild 
i wish joe biden would address this issue and not let trump's pardons slide 
. What's next? Will we start seeing more pardons granted to others who have committed serious crimes but are connected to influential people? 
It's a scary thought and I think we need to be vigilant about holding our leaders accountable for their actions 
It's like we're back to the Wild West days where the rich and powerful get away with whatever they want.
just saw that trump is granting pardon to juan orlando hernandez 
i mean, come on, 45 years in prison for drug trafficking? and it's not even like he did time already 
anyway, the fact that trump is doing this shows us how much he values his buddies over justice and accountability 
i'm not surprised, tho - trump has a history of backing authoritarian figures and bending the law to suit his interests 
it's like, what about the systemic issues driving the crisis? 
]
and what's with all these allegations of corruption in honduras? doesn't the us government have a thing called accountability or something? 
. and now hernández gets to walk free thanks to trump's buddies who are probably still involved with him 
. can't we just have some basic justice for once? 
. Like, what are we even doing here? Are we just treating the symptoms and ignoring the root causes? I feel like the US government is all about token gestures while the real issues remain unsolved 
? Or are there actually gonna be some consequences for Hernández and his crew? I guess only time will tell 
.
. It's like, you've got a guy who was basically accused of being part of a huge corruption system and he gets a free pass just because his buddy is president? 
. It's not easy being a journalist these days, especially when you're covering stuff like this. You've got to be willing to take on powerful interests and sometimes that means facing pushback or even having your publication shut down 
, especially if you've got friends in high places like Trump! It's like he's saying "Hey Juan, I know you're guilty, but I'll just wipe the slate clean and let you walk free" 
.
. We need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions and make sure that justice is served, not just for the rich and powerful, but for everyone