Trump Commutes a Clown—Democrats Pardoned Terrorists, Rapists, and Killers. Guess Who Got the Media’s Collective Panties in a Wad?

The media meltdown over Donald Trump commuting the sentence of former Rep. George Santos is pure performance art. CNN’s anchors clutched their pearls. MSNBC brought on ethics professors with shaky voices. The New York Times rolled out columns faster than Hunter Biden can misplace a laptop. They are all in absolute disbelief—not that a president would wield clemency—but that Trump did it for a man they find clownish.

Let’s get this out of the way: George Santos is a joke. He lied about nearly everything short of being Batman. He’s the kind of guy who’d show up to his own sentencing in a rented tux and say it was Versace. The man’s resume is a Mad Lib. But that’s not the point.

The point is this: if George Santos is a criminal embarrassment, then what were the monsters Clinton, Obama, and Biden gave get-out-of-jail-free cards to?

Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, a tax-dodging billionaire on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Obama commuted the sentence of Oscar López Rivera, a domestic terrorist whose group maimed and murdered in the name of Puerto Rican independence. Biden? He’s turned clemency into a soft-on-crime party favor—letting out fentanyl traffickers and violent felons faster than the Justice Department can redact a FOIA request.

And yet—when Trump grants clemency to a grifter with a fake volleyball scholarship and a love of elaborate lies—that’s when the media decides presidential mercy is a threat to democracy?

Give me a break.

The same pundits' pearl-clutching over Santos said nothing when Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who dumped classified intelligence and endangered U.S. assets. They had zero criticism when Clinton gave clemency to 16 members of FALN, a group responsible for over 130 bombings. And they sure didn’t bat an eye when Biden quietly wiped the records of drug traffickers whose “nonviolent” crimes left entire communities dead.

But Santos lies about playing volleyball, and it’s the end of the republic?

Let’s be clear: Santos is not some noble patriot wronged by the system. He’s a ridiculous figure. But the hysteria around his commutation reveals more about the media’s selective outrage than about Trump’s judgment. These same critics cheered when murderers, pedophiles, and cop killers got clemency—so long as the pen holding the pardon belonged to a Democrat.

So spare us the lectures. If pardoning a fabulist is authoritarianism, then what do you call pardoning people who leave children in body bags?

Trump commuted a clown: Biden, Obama, and Clinton commuted killers, child rapists, drug traffickers, terrorists, and traitors—but sure, let the left’s outrage machine go into full meltdown mode over George Santos. Their selective outrage isn’t moral. It’s theatrical. And everyone with a functioning memory sees right through it.

Below is a small and partial list of some of the outrageous pardons made by Democrat presidents in their final days—each one a disgraceful abuse of executive power wrapped in a self-righteous press release.

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Bill Clinton issued 459 pardons and commutations, many on his last day in office, fueling accusations of cronyism, pay-to-play schemes, and shielding allies from scandals. Several involved salacious elements like mistresses, sexual misconduct, terrorism ties, and family favoritism. While Clinton didn't directly pardon many convicted murderers or rapists, some recipients had violent or exploitative histories, and critics highlighted how pardons rewarded silence in personal scandals.

• Marc Rich (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Fugitive billionaire indicted for massive tax evasion, fraud, racketeering, and illegal oil trades with Iran during the hostage crisis. The pardon reeked of corruption after his ex-wife Denise Rich donated over $1 million to Democratic causes and Clinton's library, plus $100,000 to Hillary's Senate campaign—salacious whispers of influence-peddling via an ex-spouse's checkbook.

• Roger Clinton Jr. (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Clinton's half-brother, convicted in 1985 for cocaine conspiracy and distribution after a sting operation exposed his drug-fueled lifestyle. The pardon, which erased his record and covered potential future probes, sparked nepotism outrage, especially amid reports Roger lobbied for other pardons while profiting from his brother's position—family ties turned into a scandalous gravy train.

• Henry Cisneros (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Former HUD Secretary under Clinton, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about hush-money payments (up to $267,000) to his mistress, Linda Medlar, amid an affair that derailed his career. The pardon was slammed as favoritism for a Cabinet crony, with salacious details of extramarital payoffs dominating headlines.

• Mel Reynolds (Commutation, January 20, 2001): Former Illinois Congressman convicted federally of bank fraud and obstruction, but infamous for state convictions of sexual assault on a 16-year-old campaign volunteer, including illicit phone sex recordings. Commutation cut his sentence short, criticized as political mercy for a Democrat despite the predatory underage scandal.

• FALN Members (Commutations, August 11, 1999): Sentences commuted for 16 Puerto Rican nationalists tied to over 130 bombings that killed six and injured dozens; crimes included seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, and explosives possession. Recipients like Oscar López Rivera (wait, no—Clinton commuted others like Edwin Cortes and Ricardo Jimenez). Seen as a ploy to boost Hillary's New York Senate bid among Latino voters, ignoring victims' trauma from terrorist violence.

• Susan Rosenberg (Commutation, January 20, 2001): Weather Underground radical convicted for possessing 740 pounds of explosives and weapons linked to armored car heists and bombings (including the 1983 U.S. Capitol blast). Her release after 16 years was decried as soft on domestic terrorism, with salacious ties to 1960s-70s revolutionary extremism.

• Susan McDougal (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Whitewater scandal partner convicted of fraud and contempt for refusing to testify against the Clintons, serving 18 months including time in solitary. Pardon viewed as a reward for her loyalty and silence on the Clintons' shady Arkansas dealings—scandalous implications of covering up financial improprieties.

• Dan Rostenkowski (Pardon, December 22, 2000): Powerful ex-Congressman convicted of mail fraud in the House Post Office scandal, involving ghost employees and embezzlement. Pardon for a fellow Democrat fueled cries of elite corruption protection.

• John Deutch (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Ex-CIA Director who mishandled classified info on unsecured home computers. Pardoned just before charges, seen as shielding a national security blunderer with insider ties.

• Samuel Loring Morison (Pardon, January 20, 2001): Naval analyst convicted of espionage for leaking satellite photos to Jane's Defense Weekly. Pardon controversial for excusing intelligence breaches.

• 
  

Barack Obama (2009–2017)

Obama granted 1,927 acts of clemency, the most ever, emphasizing mercy for nonviolent drug offenders but drawing fire for high-profile cases involving leaks, terrorism, and post-release violence. While he publicly distinguished pardons from "murderers, predators, rapists," some commutations went to those with violent histories or led to salacious recidivism scandals, like murders after release.

• Bradley Manning (Commutation, January 17, 2017): Army analyst sentenced to 35 years for leaking 700,000+ classified documents to WikiLeaks, exposing war secrets and endangering lives. Commutation after seven years (amid his gender dysphoria drama and alleged suicide attempts) was blasted as betraying national security for progressive causes—a salacious mix of espionage and personal identity drama.

• Oscar López Rivera (Commutation, January 17, 2017): FALN leader convicted of seditious conspiracy, robbery, and explosives transport linked to bombings that killed five. After 35 years (12 in solitary confinement), the release was celebrated by activists but condemned as glorifying terrorism for Puerto Rican independence votes—scandalous echoes of violent nationalism.

• James Cartwright (Pardon, January 17, 2017): "Obama's favorite general" who lied to FBI about leaking Iran's nuclear secrets to reporters. Pardon for the four-star Marine excused a betrayal of trust, seen as favoritism for military elites.

• Wendell Callahan (Commutation, January 2016): Drug trafficker whose life sentence was cut to 20 years under Obama's nonviolent mercy push. Months after release, he brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend and her two daughters in a stabbing frenzy—salacious horror of recidivism turning clemency into a deadly mistake.

• Steven Wayne Fishman (Commutation, 2016): Convicted of fraud and obstruction; post-release, he joined January 6 Capitol riot, adding layers of controversy to Obama's broad commutations.

• Arnold Paul Prosperi (Pardon, January 17, 2017): Florida attorney and Obama donor convicted of tax evasion and fraud; pardon amid donations raised pay-to-play suspicions.

• Ian Schrager (Pardon, January 17, 2017): Studio 54 co-founder convicted of tax evasion in the infamous disco-era scandal involving drugs and celebrity excess—salacious nod to 1970s hedonism.

• 
  

Joe Biden (2021–2025)

Biden shattered records with over 4,245 clemencies, including mass pardons for marijuana and COVID releases, but his flurry of last-minute acts—especially commuting death row killers and rapists—ignited fury over leniency for heinous crimes. Salacious elements abound: nepotism for his scandal-plagued son, shielding political allies, prisoner swaps with dictators involving spies and child porn convicts, and freeing child murderers amid claims of partisan score-settling.

• Hunter Biden (Pardon, December 1, 2024): Biden's son, convicted of gun crimes (lying on forms while addicted to crack) and tax evasion amid a laptop scandal revealing drugs, prostitutes, and foreign dealings. Blanket pardon for 2014–2024 offenses flipped Biden's "no one above the law" vow, slammed as brazen nepotism protecting family dirt.

• Marvin Gabrion (Commutation, December 23, 2024): Death row for kidnapping and drowning 19-year-old Rachel Timmerman (whom he raped and impregnated) to silence her testimony; suspected in other murders. Commutation to life spared this serial rapist-killer, decried as mercy for a monster who targeted vulnerable women, salacious victim-silencing brutality.

• Adrian Peeler (Commutation, December 23, 2024): Death row for conspiring to murder an 8-year-old boy and his mother as witnesses in a drug case—shot execution-style. Clemency for this child-killer fueled outrage over endangering communities.

• Brandon Bernard (Commutation Attempt Context, but Others Like Him): While not directly, Biden's batch included similar: e.g., killers who burned victims alive or raped children before murder. Critics highlighted five child-slaughterers, nine inmate-butcherers, and one who killed a pregnant woman.

• Leonard Peltier (Commutation to Home Confinement, January 19, 2025): Native activist convicted of murdering two FBI agents in a 1975 shootout; life sentence commuted amid activism claims of frame-up. Controversial for glorifying cop-killers in indigenous rights lore.

• Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas (Pardon, December 30, 2022): Convicted of second-degree murder for shooting her abusive husband; pardon cited self-defense, but debated as retroactive justice for domestic violence victims.

• Jin Shanlin (Clemency, November 22, 2024): Chinese national sentenced for child pornography possession; released in U.S.-China swap. Salacious child exploitation ties mixed with espionage swaps.

• Xu Yanjun and Ji Chaoqun (Clemency, November 22, 2024): Chinese spies convicted of economic espionage and stealing aviation secrets; freed in swap, slammed for compromising U.S. security for diplomacy.

• Michael Conahan (Commutation, December 12, 2024): "Kids for Cash" judge who took kickbacks to jail juveniles harshly; commuted amid COVID batch, outraging victims of his corrupt scheme, exploiting kids.

• Alex Saab (Pardon, December 20, 2023): Venezuelan money launderer tied to the Maduro regime.

• Biden Crime Syndicate Members (Pardons, January 19, 2025): Blanket pardons for siblings, spouses, Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, January 6 committee, and police testifiers—seen as preemptive shields from Trump-era probes, pure political nepotism and favoritism.

•