President Donald Trump was grilled about his decision to pardon former president of Honduras and convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez on Sunday while simultaneously boasting about his efforts to crack down on drug trafficking.
During a Q&A with reporters on Air Force One, Trump was asked by a reporter about his decision to pardon Hernandez, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug trafficking and weapons charges in June last year.
“You have made so clear how you want to keep drugs out of the U.S. Can you explain more about why you would pardon a notorious drug trafficker?” questioned the reporter.
After Trump replied, “Well, I don’t know who you’re talking about,” the reporter specified, “Juan Orlando Hernandez.”
“Well I was told– I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras, they said it was a Biden setup,” responded Trump. “I don’t mean Biden– look, Biden didn’t know he was alive, but it was the people that surround the Resolute Desk, surround Biden when he was there, which was about very little time, and the people of Honduras really thought he was set up and it was a terrible thing.”
Trump continued, “He was the president of the country and they basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country, and they said it was a Biden administration setup, and I looked at the facts and I agree with them.”
Asked, “What evidence can you share that he was set up?” the president replied, “Well, you take a look. I mean, they could say that you take any country you want, if somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn’t mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.”
“I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly,” announced Trump in a Truth Social post last week. “CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON.”
Watch above via the White House.
The post Trump Grilled About Pardoning Ex-Honduran President: Why Would You Pardon a ‘Notorious Drug Trafficker?’ first appeared on Mediaite.