A former Justice Department pardon attorney says she is astonished by President Donald Trump’s latest use of the presidential pardon power, describing it as “unprecedented” and “damaging to the rule of law.”
Liz Oyer, who served as the first former public defender to lead the DOJ’s Office of the Pardon Attorney, shared her reaction during a recent episode of Bulwark Takes with host Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark. Their discussion centered on several controversial pardons granted by Trump, which Oyer said highlight his disregard for established legal standards.
Stein expressed disbelief at some of Trump’s recent decisions, including the pardon of Chengpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. He noted Trump’s statement on 60 Minutes that he did not know Zhao personally, calling it “a little crazy.”
“Did that blow you away, or are you not blown away at this point?” Stein asked.
“Absolutely stunning,” Oyer replied. “The self-dealing aspect of this is really striking. This is somebody who facilitated a $2 billion investment into Trump’s family cryptocurrency company, and as a result of that, he seems to have gotten a presidential pardon despite the fact that he doesn’t meet any of the standards for granting a pardon.”
Oyer added that Trump’s televised denial of knowing Zhao made the moment even more surreal. “So that was truly stunning, and then even more stunning to hear the president claim on national television that he doesn’t know who this is,” she said. “It was just a very bizarre moment.”
Stein and Oyer also discussed other Republicans who have recently benefited from Trump’s clemency, including former New York Representative George Santos, convicted of multiple financial crimes, and Scott Jenkins, a Virginia sheriff sentenced earlier this year to ten years in federal prison for corruption.
Oyer said these cases share a common thread. “Trump pardons a lot of people in whom he sees something of himself,” she observed. Legal experts have long warned that Trump’s approach to pardons could undermine faith in the impartiality of the justice system.
Oyer echoed that concern, suggesting that these actions reflect a broader pattern of personal loyalty and self-interest over fairness or due process. Her comments add to the growing debate over how far the constitutional pardon power can stretch before it begins to erode the rule of law—a question likely to shadow any future Trump administration.