Trump’s Corrupt Pardons Are a Middle Finger to Every American

Why Cuellar’s Pardon Hits Different

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I don’t think there’s anything angering me more right now than the corruption of the Trump administration — and the sheer brazenness of these daily deluge of pardons. Trump has already issued over 1,600 pardons. Joe Biden? Just 80. And yeah, there were a few Biden pardons I didn’t love — but with Trump, it’s literally every day. One or two people. It’s jaw-dropping.

I want to zero in on one pardon in particular — though honestly, I could go off on dozens — and that’s the pardon this week of Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas.

Full disclosure: I’ve done some work for Cuellar before. I don’t anymore. And this one really, deeply pisses me off — because I have no idea what Trump got out of it.

I’ve seen some Dem influencers try to frame it like Trump’s playing 4D chess — pardoning a Democrat to divide us, make us fight each other. I don’t buy that for a second. Trump’s not some Machiavellian genius — that’s giving him way too much credit. It also completely glosses over the fact that Cuellar was facing trial for taking $600,000 in bribes from an oil and gas company. That’s not some minor slip-up. That’s serious.

Some folks have said the case against Cuellar was flimsy. Maybe. I don’t know. But that’s what a trial is for. Let the process play out. Let a jury decide. And I think it’s important for Democrats — especially when it’s one of our own — to say that out loud.

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Because I don’t know why Trump did this. Maybe money moved behind the scenes. Maybe there was a political angle. Maybe he just did it to screw with us. But whatever the reason, he did it — and now you’ve got people out here saying, “Well, look, Trump pardons Democrats too! That’s bipartisan!”

I don’t give a damn what party you’re in — if you’re accused of a crime, you should go through the process. Same with the Epstein files. I don’t care if Democrats are in there — release it all. Let the public see what the rich and powerful are doing behind closed doors. Because corruption is everywhere. It’s unchecked, and it’s metastasizing.

Issuing pardons without any meaningful review or explanation is extremely dangerous because it signals that normal legal safeguards no longer apply. This kind of unchecked power reinforces the reality that we are already living under increasingly authoritarian conditions — and the more leaders get away with it, the deeper that governance style entrenches itself. There’s zero accountability for the handful of people who abuse their power and fuck over regular Americans for profit.

Democrats have to be willing to call that out. If we want to be taken seriously on corruption — which, by the way, should be one of the defining issues of 2026 and 2028 — we’ve got to own it. We’ve got to take on insider trading in Congress. We’ve got to deal with the rot inside our own house. No more ignoring it because it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable.

One of the reasons Trump thrives is because people believe the whole damn system is corrupt. That everyone’s just in it for themselves. And you know what? That belief helps him. People say, “At least Trump’s honest about it.” And it drives me insane. Every time I hear a voter say that in a focus group, it’s like someone jamming a fork into a garbage disposal in my brain.

But they’re not wrong to feel disillusioned. And a lot of Democratic strategists know that corruption is a message that breaks through. I believe that too. It’s a way to talk about who’s winning and who’s losing in Trump’s America. It ties directly to issues people care about: affordability, healthcare, security, fairness. That’s where we can connect.

Same goes for Epstein. The Trump administration has become a full-blown protection racket for billionaires and their well connected buddies. And we’ve got to name that. But we’ve also got to name it when it’s happening in our own damn party. No more looking the other way.

Maybe Cuellar’s innocent. I honestly don’t know. But he never got his day in court. And that matters.

Here’s my final thought: what kind of message does this send to the people at the FBI and DOJ who are actually trying to do their jobs? Trying to take down bribery schemes, political corruption, drug traffickers, sexual predators? How demoralizing must it be when Trump turns around and pardons the very people they spent years building a case against?

Take that case in Texas this week — Trump’s own DOJ brought charges against a guy involved in rigging a stadium deal. Trump pardoned him too. Why? Most likely because the guy got close to Trump’s inner circle and he made a big enough donation. Maybe he got the right cocktail server to whisper his name at Mar-a-Lago. Who knows.

But that’s what this has become. And I’ve reached the point where I think the pardon power, as it exists, needs to go. It was meant to be a failsafe — a check on the system when it gets something wrong. Instead, it’s now the most blatant form of institutional corruption we have.

We’ve got to keep calling it out. If we’re serious about winning elections — about building a country where accountability and responsibility actually mean something — then this can’t slide. Because this is why a third of Americans don’t vote. They see a rigged game. A system where the rich and well connected protect each other, and everyone else gets screwed.

We can’t let it happen again. Not with the pardons. Not with Epstein. Not with any of it. We’ve got to keep the pressure on — even when it’s hard, even when it’s messy, even when it’s one of our own.