White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Honduran president and convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández, arguing his conviction was instead the result of a politicized trial last year.
During a White House press briefing, Leavitt justified the administration’s lifeline to Hernández, arguing the two-term president’s charges had been mired by a corrupt “over-prosecution” under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“He was opposed to the values of the previous administration and they charged him because he was president of Honduras,” Leavitt said.
Hernández was sentenced last year to 45 years in a U.S. prison for conspiring to transport hundreds of tons of cocaine through his country and into the U.S. The former Honduran president had also been accused of taking bribes during his campaign from Joaquín Guzmán, the infamous Mexican cartel leader known as “El Chapo” and raking in millions of dollars in drug money from drug-trafficking organizations.
The judge presiding over the case, P. Kevin Castel, had called Hernández “a two-faced politician hungry for power,” as Hernández's defense lawyer maintained they were impeded by corruption in the case. Hernández has been appealing his conviction.
In a stunning move Friday, Trump announced he’d grant a “Full and Complete Pardon” to the two-term president — saying he was treated “very harshly and unfairly” in his conviction while also praising Nasry Asfura, a candidate for the Honduran presidency and the leader of the right-wing National Party, who’s earned Trump’s backing in the race.
“This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Leavitt continued to characterize Hernández's charges as politicized under a “weaponized” Justice Department, claiming his conviction was based on testimony from “many admitted criminals” who hoped their testimony could reduce their sentences and that his lawyer was given insufficient time to prepare for trial.
“He shared that his conviction was lawfare by the leftist party who ‘struck a deal' with the Biden-Harris administration,” she said. “Hernández has highlighted there was virtually no independent evidence presented.”
But the administration has remained adamant that the pardon does not undercut their ongoing campaign against “narcoterrorists” who they believe are circulating drugs to the U.S. Leavitt said Monday that Trump’s pardon was catalyzed by his aims to “correct the wrongs” of the Biden’s Justice Department, maintaining the administration's aim to wipe out drug trafficking internationally.
The move also comes as the administration has escalated its attacks on Venezuelan boats it believes are carrying drugs through international waters.
“I think president trump has been quite clear in his defense of the United States homeland to stop these illegal narcotics from coming to our borders whether that is by land or by sea,” Leavitt said.
Comments
Post a Comment