Trump to Pardon Ex-Honduran President, Links U.S. Support to Honduras Vote
The declaration on Truth Social follows a 45-year U.S. sentence for Juan Orlando Hernández on cocaine-trafficking charges.
Overview
- Trump announced a full and absolute pardon for Juan Orlando Hernández in a post published days before Honduras' presidential election.
- He endorsed Nasry 'Tito' Asfura of the National Party and warned the United States would not "waste" resources on Honduras if Asfura loses.
- A New York jury convicted Hernández in March 2024 of facilitating the movement of hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States using Honduran security forces, and he is serving a 45-year term.
- Trump said Hernández was treated very harshly and unfairly, while former Attorney General Merrick Garland had called the case an abuse of power supporting a major narcotrafficking conspiracy.
- Asfura, a former Tegucigalpa mayor, is competing against Rixi Moncada of Libre and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party and told AFP he has no link to Hernández.