In pardoning key NC allies, Trump tries to rewrite 2020. It won’t work. | Opinion

President Donald Trump has issued a long list of pardons for allies accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including North Carolinians Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff, and attorney Sidney Powell.

The pardons are largely symbolic, because none of the pardoned individuals face federal charges, and regardless of what Trump thinks, presidents do not have the power to pardon state crimes. But the pardons represent a disturbing normalization of election subversion, and they are yet another example of a presidency operating without precedent.

Meadows played a supporting role in Trump’s efforts to interfere with the election, echoing false claims about fraud and enabling illegal attempts to overturn the results. He was aware of the potential for violence on Jan. 6 and did little to encourage Trump to intervene once it began. Powell, meanwhile, spread baseless conspiracy theories in the wake of Trump’s loss and helped devise a legal strategy of challenging election results in swing states by falsely claiming voter fraud.

Both Meadows and Powell have faced state-level charges for their actions. Meadows has been indicted in Arizona on felony counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery, and in Georgia, where Trump and his allies pressured officials to “find” more votes for him in 2020. He has pleaded not guilty in both states, but those cases are technically still ongoing. Powell pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Georgia in 2023 for conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties.

In addition to Meadows and Powell, Trump also pardoned 75 other allies, including Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman. Given that none of them have been charged with any federal crime, these pardons are effectively moot. But it does send a message that Trump is willing to protect and reward those who cross moral and legal lines for his benefit.

Trump, of course, is not the first president to issue controversial pardons. Former President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, before leaving office and preemptively pardoned other members of his family who he feared might be subject to future retribution by Trump. Former President Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother and a political ally at the end of his second term. Trump, though, has taken pardon misuse to a new level. He’s made a habit of pardoning those in his personal and political orbit, even and especially when they are guilty of wrongdoing. Shortly after taking office in January, Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, who he has called “political prisoners” and “great patriots.” That includes those charged with violent crimes such as assaulting police officers and using a deadly weapon.

A president pardoning people for helping him steal an election is uniquely corrupt, and there could be political implications in North Carolina and other purple states where Trump’s approval rating is tanking. Trump’s decision to pardon Jan. 6 rioters was already deeply unpopular – voters didn’t buy his narrative then, and they likely won’t buy it now, either. The pardons alone likely aren’t enough to make voters turn on him, but they’re more fuel for growing public backlash that could hurt him and Republicans in next year’s midterms. But public opinion never really has been a guiding force for Trump, who is more inclined to flout his power and dare others to challenge him.

But perhaps most disturbing is Trump’s use of pardons as a means of normalizing a series of events that was anything but normal. The official proclamation states that the pardons are intended to “[end] a grave national injustice” and “[continue] the process of national reconciliation.” But these pardons don’t fix an injustice, they create one, and they’re far more likely to fuel division than reconciliation.

By framing his co-conspirators and mob of supporters as victims, Trump is trying to rewrite the history of his failed coup. He’s wiping the slate clean and hoping we’ll forget. The general public may not forget what really happened, but for his allies and supporters, it sends an important signal. It’s both a permission slip for subversion and political violence, and it’s an invitation to do it again, because he’s made it clear he will shield them from the consequences.

Paige Masten is a deputy opinion editor for the Charlotte Observer and McClatchy’s North Carolina Opinion team.