Trump weighs pardon for former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez Garced, the White House confirmed to U.S. media.
Vazquez Garced recently accepted a plea deal following allegations that she participated in a bribery scheme while in office. Trump administration officials have characterized the prosecution as an example of "political persecution."
The pardon is part of a broader wave of clemency Trump has granted to allies and supporters since returning to office. He previously pardoned former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted on drug trafficking charges, as well as participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The decision sparked immediate backlash from political opponents in Puerto Rico.
Rep. Pablo Jose Hernandez Rivera wrote on social media that the move "undermines public integrity, erodes trust in the justice system, and insults those who believe in honest government."
Saigon Sentinel Analysis
The anticipated grant of executive clemency for former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez is no isolated act of mercy; it is a calculated pillar of President Trump’s second-term political strategy. The move serves to galvanize his narrative regarding "lawfare"—the alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice by previous Democratic administrations—positioning it as a necessary correction to a politicized legal system.
By shielding political allies such as Vazquez, Trump is delivering a potent signal to his constituency: he remains the primary bulwark against a judiciary he characterizes as fundamentally biased against conservatives. This action, framed alongside pardons for Jan. 6 defendants and other high-profile figures, represents a defiant reassertion of executive authority aimed at institutionalizing personal loyalty within the Republican ranks.
The pardon also underscores a notable pivot from Trump’s historically fraught relationship with Puerto Rico, an island-territory he frequently disparaged during his first term. This suggests that the move is driven by partisan optics and personal alliance rather than a substantive shift in island policy. Ultimately, this expansive and strategic application of the pardon power is set to further erode traditional norms of judicial independence and deepen the systemic political polarization currently defining the American landscape.