'Rewards his friends': Judge muses Trump using pardons to buy votes

Pardons Theme and Process - The theme of pardons is that Donald Trump wants to be nice to people who are nice to him [1] - The pardon process has changed from a process involving legal experts to Donald Trump acting on a whim [2][3] - Trump may be using pardons to gain political support, potentially trading pardons for votes [8] Motivations Behind Pardons - Trump rewards his friends and punishes his enemies through pardons [9] - Trump's interest in crypto may be influencing pardon decisions, as he is reportedly making billions of dollars in crypto [10] - Pardons may be influenced by intermediaries who are paid to reach out to Trump's inner circle [16] Concerns and Potential Abuse of Power - There are concerns that Trump could be taking bribes for pardons, and there may be no legal recourse due to presidential immunity [13] - The founders of the country were worried about the pardon power and the potential for self-interest to influence pardon decisions [10][11] - Impeachment is theoretically a check on the pardon power, but it is unlikely to happen [14]