by Jimmy Yates ‘21

With all that has been in the news, it is easy to fall behind or forget about the countless mistakes made by our outgoing president. President Trump is exploiting the presidential pardons to display he still holds power as a lame duck president. He is also using pardons to leverage his allies and associates to prevent them from flipping and working against Trump, like Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen did when Mueller investigated him. Trump has issued pardons for advisor Roger Stone and campaign manager Paul Manafort, who were both convicted of obstruction in the Mueller investigation. Trump has also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of his son in-law Jared Kushner.

The most shocking of the pardons? Four security contractors working for the private Blackwater military company, founded by the brother of Trump-appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. In 2007, the guards, hired to protect amored vehicles carrying U.S. personnel in Baghdad, killed 17 innocent Iraqi citizens and were convicted in U.S. federal court of manslaughter and murder after being prosecuted by the Justice Department for seven years. In essence, Trump has pardoned war criminals. 

Many have voiced their concerns and frustration at Trump’s decision to pardon the four men and lack of explanation for doing so. The International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA), created by several nations including the U.S. after the Blackwater massacre to “raise private security industry standards and practices that respect human rights and international humanitarian law,” along with the United Nations (UN), and members of the FBI are disgusted at Trump’s decision to pardon these convicted criminals. 

“I am embarrassed for our country. I believe we will pay a heavy price in our relationships with other countries as a result of these pardons,” said John M. Patarini, the FBI case agent who led the investigation of the Blackwater killings. One of the victims of the massacre, Hassan Salman,  shot four times during the shooting, stated, “I’m really shocked. … The American judiciary is fair and equitable. I had never imagined that Trump or any other politician would affect American justice.” 

Over 25 witnesses from Iraq traveled to the United States to testify against the four men and to make sure they were punished. Now, they, along with everyone else affected by the massacre in Baghdad 13 years ago will watch these four men walk free simply because they’re Americans.

Trump’s pardon of the four guards, despite the findings of the investigation findings of the FBI and the conviction of the four men, undermines the decision and power of the American judicial system. This pardon sets the dangerous precedent that a president may dismiss any criminal they want without considering the consequences, and that Americans in foreign countries  don’t have consequences for their actions, as they will be pardoned by the president.

Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the UN, stated that she is extremely concerned about the pardon of the four men, as it “contributes to impunity and has the effect of emboldening others to commit such crimes in the future.”