Trump formally pardons former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández

CNN President Donald Trump has formally pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hern ndez according to his attorney Renato Stabile Trump had reported his intention of granting a full and complete pardon to Hern ndez last week in a move that erases a major US drug-trafficking conviction for a onetime US ally Hern ndez has been published from prison according to his attorney A US Bureau of Prisons database also shows that the former Honduran president was distributed from a prison in West Virginia On behalf of President Hernandez and his family I would like to thank President Trump for correcting this injustice President Hernandez is glad this ordeal is over and is looking forward to regaining his life after almost years in prison Stabile added in a announcement President of Honduras from until Hern ndez was convicted and sentenced last year to years in prison and given an million fine by a US judge for drug trafficking offenses Hern ndez s wife Ana Garc a de Hern ndez mentioned in a social media post that her husband was a free man thanks to Trump s pardon The White House on Monday defended Trump s plan to pardon Hern ndez after facing criticism that granting clemency to a convicted drug trafficker ran counter to their ongoing pressure campaign against drug cartels in the Caribbean This was a clear Biden over-prosecution press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained He was the president of this country He was in the opposition party He was opposed to the values of the previous administration and they charged him because he was president of Honduras But as CNN has shared prosecutors accused Hern ndez of conspiring with drug cartels during his tenure as they moved more than tons of cocaine through Honduras toward the United States In exchange prosecutors reported Hern ndez received millions of dollars in bribes that he used to fuel his rise in Honduran politics Though the Trump administration is blaming the Biden administration Hern ndez s brother was indeed prosecuted by Emil Bove during Trump s first term in office Bove then served as Trump s personal attorney before becoming a federal judge nominated by Trump There were several people in Trump s orbit lobbying for Hernandez s pardon including his longtime ally Roger Stone who stated he called on Trump in June to pardon him and claimed he was targeted by the Biden administration