In a string of controversial moves that have sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond, President Donald Trump has once again wielded his pardon power in ways that critics say undermine the rule of law and fuel political turmoil. On December 9, 2025, Trump granted clemency to Garnett Gilbert Smith, a Baltimore drug trafficker convicted in 2014 for distributing over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine—one of the largest such cases in recent DEA memory, according to The Baltimore Sun. This act followed closely on the heels of Trump’s December 2 pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been sentenced to 45 years for moving hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States.
But the president’s latest maneuver may have been the most audacious yet. On December 11, Trump issued a preemptive pardon to Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar, who was under indictment for allegedly accepting bribes from foreign actors. The move caught many off guard, not least because Cuellar, after receiving the pardon, immediately called for prosecutors to be investigated—a twist that left even seasoned political observers scratching their heads. As Dean Baker noted in his Beat the Press blog, "The Trumpian absurdity part of the story is that Cuellar immediately turned around and said that he wants the prosecutors investigated."
These decisions have not gone unnoticed by lawmakers. Representative Johnny Olszewski, a Maryland Democrat and former Baltimore County executive, voiced deep frustration with what he called a “deeply troubling pattern” from a president who once styled himself as the champion of law and order. In a letter to The Baltimore Sun, Olszewski wrote, "This has become a deeply troubling pattern from our self-styled law-and-order president." He announced the introduction of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to overturn what it deems egregious pardons. Under the plan, 20 House members and five senators could trigger a review, after which Congress would have 60 days to vote on rejecting the pardon by a two-thirds supermajority. Olszewski insists, “The goal isn’t to abolish presidential pardons altogether, but to make a president think twice before abusing the privilege.”
The White House, for its part, has offered little in the way of compelling justification for these high-profile acts of clemency. Critics from both sides of the aisle have long accused presidents of abusing the pardon power to reward political allies or protect friends and family, but Trump’s recent spree has rekindled debate over the limits of executive authority. As Olszewski argued, “The executive branch shouldn’t be able to so recklessly and unilaterally overturn the laws of Congress and their applications through the judicial branch.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has become a battleground for competing visions of law and order. According to Baker’s reporting, career prosecutors have refused to pursue certain politically charged cases, including attempts to prosecute former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump’s pick for acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, was forced to take up the cases herself after Justice Department lawyers declined to participate. Baker observed, “The refusal of Justice Department lawyers to carry through blatantly political prosecutions has been a source of encouragement. This shows both that they have a bit of a moral compass, and also that they are thinking of a post-Trump world.”
Even in the world of high finance, Trump’s actions have raised eyebrows. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase—America’s largest bank—recently declined to make a contribution to a Trump event, citing concerns about how a future Justice Department might view such a move. Dimon’s caution is telling; earlier in 2024, he had publicly stated that the economy would fare well under either Trump or Biden, but his recent hesitance signals a growing unease among business leaders about the stability of Trump’s administration.
That unease is mirrored in Congress, where a near-record number of Republican lawmakers have announced their retirements in 2025. Some, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, are not even finishing out their terms. As Baker puts it, “Most of them are not morons. They know they are being asked to repeat inane lies in support of Donald Trump and whatever whack job thing he says or does. That can’t be lots of fun.” The electoral landscape is shifting too, with Republicans seeing double-digit losses in recent elections and Trump’s approval ratings plummeting.
At the same time, several conspiracy theories that have fueled the MAGA movement are unraveling. Notably, the saga surrounding Jeffrey Epstein—a case that some Trump supporters believed would expose high-level Democratic wrongdoing—has instead cast a spotlight on Trump’s own connections to Epstein. Baker writes, “Trump’s denials of his ties to Epstein are becoming ever more absurd. Only the most extreme cult members can find them credible at this point.” Meanwhile, the FBI recently identified a suspect in the January 6 Capitol pipe bomb case, undermining claims from Trump allies that the incident was an inside job orchestrated by federal agents.
Trump’s approach to immigration and drug interdiction has also drawn criticism. The president has authorized military strikes on small boats thousands of miles from U.S. shores, purportedly to disrupt drug trafficking. Yet, as Baker notes, “Killing survivors from the initial strikes makes even less sense. The whole thing becomes even more absurd when Trump issues a pardon to a notorious drug trafficker who the Justice Department spent years investigating and convicting.” The overwhelming majority of those detained by ICE, he adds, are people with little or no criminal record, raising questions about the effectiveness and morality of these policies.
Domestically, Trump faces mounting challenges on health care and the economy. Health insurance premiums are set to rise sharply for millions unless Congress acts to extend Obamacare subsidies—a move that would require a political about-face from Trump and his Republican allies. Wage growth for low-income workers is lagging behind inflation, and new data shows import prices climbing as exporters pass along the costs of Trump’s tariffs. The labor market, particularly for Black workers and young people, has weakened noticeably.
With the president’s actions drawing fire from all sides, some observers believe the Trump era may be nearing its end. As Baker concludes, “It’s too early for big celebrations, but it does look like the wheels are coming off the Trump juggernaut.” Yet, he warns, the road ahead remains uncertain, and the forces of democracy must remain vigilant.
As the nation grapples with the fallout from Trump’s latest pardons, the debate over the balance of power, the integrity of American institutions, and the future of the presidency has rarely been more urgent—or more consequential.
