Donald Trump pardons a bunch of his own people, in a clear sign that it’s all over for him

| 7:15 pm EST December 22, 2020
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As Palmer Report has tried to stress for quite some time, pardons aren’t magic wands. Donald Trump was never going to be able to somehow pardon his way into remaining in power, or even fully shielding himself, his family, or his co-conspirators from going to prison. In fact, once Trump began pardoning everyone, it would be a clear sign that his presidency is over and he’s given up.

Trump pardoned convicted criminal Michael Flynn earlier this month, in what amounted to a one-off desperation move to keep the unstable Flynn in his corner. But now tonight CNN is reporting that Trump has also pardoned former Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins, who were both convicted for financial crimes after having endorsed Trump. Trump is also pardoning his former “coffee boy” George Papadopoulos and his ally Alex van der Zwaan, both of whom have already finished their sentences.

So what is Donald Trump doing? He’s beginning to wave the white flag. If he thought there was anything greater than a 0.0% chance he’d somehow magically get a second term, he’d be saving these pardons until his second term was secured. Instead he’s giving up hope, and he’s trying to give his own people a bit of legal cover.

Trump will surely end up pardoning the bigger names around him, including himself and his family, soon. But some of these pardons will likely be overturned or worked around in court on the basis of being too broad and flimsy – and some of these pardons will become irrelevant due to state charges. There’s no magic carpet ride ending for Trump, and he’ll end up in prison in New York State.