Donald Trump has announced that he will grant a full pardon to Juan Orlando Hernández, the former Honduran president currently serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US on drug trafficking and weapons charges. The decision comes despite Trump's reputation as being tough on combating drug problems.
Hernández was convicted in US courts of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from traffickers he once claimed to combat. During his trial, assistant US attorney Jacob Gutwillig described Hernández as having "paved a cocaine superhighway to the United States." The former president has maintained that his conviction is wrongful.
Trump's pardon for Hernández raises eyebrows given his own administration's efforts to tackle drug trafficking and crime in Central America during his presidency. In 2018, Trump designated multiple drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" and ordered airstrikes on vessels across the Caribbean and Pacific. These strikes have been condemned by the UN and other humanitarian organizations as extrajudicial executions.
The pardon is also seen as a surprise given Hernández's close ties with Washington during his presidency. His administration forged a strong partnership with the US, including a close relationship between Honduras' leader at the time and the Trump administration.
This decision comes ahead of upcoming elections in Honduras, where two candidates are vying for the presidency: Tito Asfura and Rixi Moncada. The Organization of American States has expressed concerns about Honduras' electoral process, and Washington is closely monitoring the election.
Trump's message backing Asfura for Honduras' presidency also suggests that the US will continue to support the country under his leadership, but warned that if a wrong leader wins, "the United States will not be throwing good money after bad."
Hernández was convicted in US courts of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from traffickers he once claimed to combat. During his trial, assistant US attorney Jacob Gutwillig described Hernández as having "paved a cocaine superhighway to the United States." The former president has maintained that his conviction is wrongful.
Trump's pardon for Hernández raises eyebrows given his own administration's efforts to tackle drug trafficking and crime in Central America during his presidency. In 2018, Trump designated multiple drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" and ordered airstrikes on vessels across the Caribbean and Pacific. These strikes have been condemned by the UN and other humanitarian organizations as extrajudicial executions.
The pardon is also seen as a surprise given Hernández's close ties with Washington during his presidency. His administration forged a strong partnership with the US, including a close relationship between Honduras' leader at the time and the Trump administration.
This decision comes ahead of upcoming elections in Honduras, where two candidates are vying for the presidency: Tito Asfura and Rixi Moncada. The Organization of American States has expressed concerns about Honduras' electoral process, and Washington is closely monitoring the election.
Trump's message backing Asfura for Honduras' presidency also suggests that the US will continue to support the country under his leadership, but warned that if a wrong leader wins, "the United States will not be throwing good money after bad."
I'm so confused by this pardon decision... like, Trump is all about being tough on crime and then suddenly he's giving a full pardon to a former president who was convicted of some major crimes? 
It just doesn't add up. And what about all the airstrikes he ordered in Central America back in 2018? Was that all just talk or did it really make a difference?
It's all so suspicious.
. like why would he do it now when it's about to get hot in honduras? the whole situation feels kinda fishy 
, especially since his admin was all about taking down cartels... sounds like a clear case of 'you do me a solid & i'll do you a pardon' 
. it's all about geopolitics, imo 
. i mean, trump's all about being tough on crime and whatnot, but now he's gonna set free some dude who was convicted of basically selling out to the highest bidder? it just doesn't add up 
. it feels like he's more concerned about supporting one candidate over another than actually doing what's right 
. It seems like he just gave the green light to corrupt politicians and traffickers 
is also pretty shady