With only a few weeks left in his term as president, Donald Trump recently carried out controversial pardons to convicted felons and allies. Among those who widely criticized the pardons made was a federal judge in Iowa.
US District Judge Robert Pratt of Southern Iowa blasted Trump’s pardons of allies while also saying that he was not surprised that the outgoing president would grant those people a pardon from the law. Trump granted pardons to aides that were involved in the Mueller investigation, former Republican Congressmen who were convicted of crimes as well as security contractors who murdered innocent civilians in Iraq, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father Charles Kushner.
“It’s not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals,” said Pratt to the Associated Press. “But apparently to get a pardon, one has to be either a Republican, a convicted child murderer, and a turkey,” said the judge, referencing the traditional turkey pardon at the White House. The judge made the comments when pressed regarding Trump’s granting of pardons to two former aides to Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign that were involved in a corruption scheme surrounding the Iowa caucuses. Paul’s son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul supported the pardons for the two aides.
A Clinton appointee since 1997, Pratt also noted that US officials should be stopped by those framing the Constitution from “enriching” themselves while they are still in office through banning gifts and payments from foreign powers. The current lawsuits against Trump accuse him of profiting off the presidency through the use of his properties.
Meanwhile, the vaccinations have begun for COVID-19 in the country due to pharmaceutical firms being given the go-ahead by the FDA. However, the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed was criticized for the slow rollout of vaccines especially to those in need. The task force cited that the snowstorms, the recent holidays, and problems in storage are what led to the slow rollout.
Operation Warp Speed chief science adviser Moncef Slaoui and Army general Gustave Perra admitted during a conference call with the press Wednesday that they were not satisfied with the rate of vaccinations. However, they remain optimistic that the numbers would go up in the coming days.