The Presidential Pardons that Sparked National Outrage

Presidential pardons are interesting when looking over the executive branch's powers. They aren't necessarily intended as a blank state for offenses committed against a state. However, on the federal level, they act as a complete purge of charges. Today, we're looking at some of history's most controversial presidential pardons.

Andrew Johnson had large shoes to fill in the grander scheme of the post-Civil War era. Lincoln served as a uniting force against Confederate transgressions. His assassination left the United States fractured, with Reconstruction stalled.

Johnson's initial attitude toward Confederate leadership led to a massive flight to other countries. However, that stance changed with a sweeping set of presidential pardons that targeted 12,652 former Confederate officials in a military and civilian capacity. The nation was outraged, as the many Union soldiers who had sacrificed everything seemed to be disrespected by these actions.

Ford's presidency is perhaps one of the strangest of the 20th century. Taking office following the resignation of Richard Nixon, he served a mere 3 years in office before Jimmy Carter was elected. However, his rise to the office of president is something that needs to be seen to be believed. Ford wasn't Nixon's original vice president; that was Spiro Agnew. Agnew resigned in 1973 before Nixon's resignation in 1974.

Nixon's legacy is one mired in controversy. A divisive president at the best of times, Nixon did some good, for sure. However, his actions at Watergate were seen as bald-faced corruption by the American public. Ford's pardon of Nixon was swift. Ford claimed this was to heal the nation, but Nixon's crimes went unaccounted for.

Clinton's legacy has largely been polished. It's easy to forget his misdeeds while in office. However, it is certainly true that he was good for the economy and social progress alike. That isn't to say Clinton was without his controversial decisions.

Clinton's presidential pardon of Marc Rich remains one of his most controversial actions while in the office of the president. Rich was indicted on charges of tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and all manner of financial misdeeds. The pardon itself is controversial due to Rich's family's ties to the Democratic Party.

You don't make career politicians quite like George H.W. Bush these days. Under the tutelage of his father, Prescott, George H.W. Bush would assume all sorts of political offices before winning the presidency in 1988. It's largely remembered primarily for the Gulf War these days, but there was certainly more going on behind the scenes.

Bush's 1992 pardon of Caspar Weinberger closed the book on the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal that had simmered below Reagan's last term and well into Bush's sole term. Weinberger acted as Secretary of Defense under the Reagan administration and is thought to have facilitated the transfer of munitions to Iran throughout the scandal.

Poor Jimmy Carter, he inherited quite a situation. Still, his brief presidency was fruitful in a few ways. However, he gave out one of the most controversial presidential pardons in recent memory. That said, you have to understand the cultural context of the United States to get why.

In 1977, Carter granted a presidential pardon to all draft dodgers of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was still fresh in American memory, concluding a mere two years before the pardon. For many in the American public, this was seen as an utter betrayal for those who had served.

Our final president on today's list, Donald Trump, is no stranger to controversy. Both of his presidential terms have been mired in controversy, and his presidential pardons are no exception. With that in mind, we're going to take a closer look at five notable ones.

Charles Kushner is the father of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign contributions in 2005. Trump's pardon of Kushner came in 2020, as he was exiting office during his first term.

Long-time Trump political advisor Roger Stone was found guilty in 2019 of seven felony counts, including witness tampering, obstruction of an official proceeding, and making false statements. Stone was initially sentenced to a 40-month jail sentence before Trump's presidential pardon arrived in late 2020.

Manafort is another figure surrounding Trump, facing a lengthy prison sentence. In 2019, Manafort was looking at 47 months in prison with another 43 months tacked on. This came to an end in 2020, with another controversial presidential pardon from Donald Trump.

Bannon was Trump's chief strategist for the first 7 months of Trump's first term. Afterward, Bannon would be found guilty in 2020 of charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in connection with the We Build the Wall campaign. Bannon was pardoned for these charges, but would eventually be found guilty again in 2022 for charges of fraud.

Around 1,600 people participated in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Many of these individuals were brought up on federal charges, with some sentenced to lengthy prison terms. One of Trump's first actions upon taking office in 2025 was to give a sweeping, controversial presidential pardon to these individuals.