Former Vice President Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff, Marc Short, has spoken out about the handling of pardons during the Trump-Pence administration. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Short criticized former President Donald Trump for issuing what he deemed as “indefensible” pardons in the final days of his presidency.
Short expressed his disappointment at the pardons granted by Trump, stating that it was one of the most unseemly aspects of their administration’s conclusion. He specifically highlighted pardons given to cocaine traffickers, family members, and individuals guilty of violent crimes as particularly concerning.
The family member mentioned by Short was Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner had previously been convicted on 16 counts of fraud and false statements in 2005, but was granted a pardon by Trump on December 23, 2020. Additionally, Trump pardoned longtime allies such as Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon, and Roger Stone throughout his term.
According to Short, these pardons were clearly beyond acceptable boundaries. He further criticized Trump’s overall record on pardons, citing instances where individuals reportedly paid lobbyists substantial sums of money in an attempt to secure a pardon.
“When it comes to pardons, candidly, one of the most unseemly parts of the end of our administration was the pardons that Donald Trump gave to cocaine traffickers, to family members, to people who were guilty of violent crimes.
I think if you look at actually even Donald Trump’s record when it came to pardons, it was indefensible,” Short said. “People getting $750,000 to lobbyists to try to gain a pardon.
Regardless of which party the president is from, they always get a ton of heat for these pardons that they do at the end of their term.”
Fox News anchor Shannon Bream acknowledged that late-term pardons are often controversial regardless of the president’s party affiliation, as they tend to attract significant scrutiny. However, Short argued that Trump’s pardons were on an entirely different level, suggesting that they surpassed the actions of the Clinton family.
By expressing his strong disapproval of the pardons issued by the Trump administration, Short has shed light on internal criticisms within the ranks of the former vice president’s staff. His remarks indicate a divergence of opinion regarding the appropriateness and ethics of the pardoning power exercised by the Trump-Pence administration.
