BURSTSen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) called for President-elect Trump to be pardoned in his New York hush money case in the senator's first Truth Social post, which he sent Tuesday.
“The Trump hush money and Hunter Biden cases were both bulls‑‑‑, and pardons are appropriate,” Fetterman said in his post. “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division.”
Fetterman said last week that Trump deserves to be pardoned of the hush money case on ABC’s “The View,” following President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden.
“I think that it’s undeniable that the case against Hunter Biden was really politically motivated, but I also think it’s true that the trial in New York for Trump was political as well, too,” Fetterman said.
“In both cases, I think a pardon is appropriate and I really think, collectively, that America’s confidence in these types of institutions have been damaged by these kinds of cases, and we cannot allow these types of institutions to be weaponized against our political opponents,” he added.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has the ability to pardon Trump on the hush money case, but given the sour relationship between the Empire State governor and the president-elect, that is not likely to happen.
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who ran as a primary challenger to President Biden in the 2024 election, also pushed Hochul to pardon Trump in the wake of his May conviction in the hush money case.
“Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater, and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips wrote at the time in a post on the social platform X. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”
The Hill has reached out to the press office for Hochul, the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Department of Justice for comment.