Today brought two further instances of Trump using his pardon power on politically sympathetic people who had been convicted of white-collar crimes.

First, Trump pardoned a man named Paul Walczak who was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $4.3 million in restitution for tax crimes, relating largely to withholding Social Security taxes from his employees’ pay but then keeping the money. I’m sure it is pure coincidence that three weeks ago Walczak’s mother, a major Trump supporter, attended a $1 million per head dinner for super-PAC MAGA Inc. at which Trump was the keynote speaker.

Next, Trump pardoned reality TV stars Todd & Julie Chrisley, who were convicted in 2022 of bank fraud and tax evasion. Their daughter Savannah was a speaker at the 2024 RNC.

I haven’t talked much yet about Trump’s war on BigLaw, which is a subset of the retribution theme. Trump issued several executive orders targeting specific major law firms, ones having some connection or other to various legal actions taken against him in recent year. Some BigLaw firms, most notably Paul Weiss, negotiated with the administration to get the exeucitve order rescinded. Others have sued.

And, they’ve been winning. In early May a federal judge permanently enjoined the administration from enforcing its executive order against Perkins Coie; late last week a different federal judge did the same with respect to an executive order against Jenner & Block; and today a third federal judge declared that the executive order against WilmerHale was unconstitutional. Of course, one imagines there will be appeals.

In political news, Sen. Tuberville (R-AL) announced today that one term was enough and, instead of running for re-election in 2026, he will run for Governor of Alabama (the Republican incumbent being term-limited). I look forward to the eventual departure of the Senate’s least competent member. Also, another poll shows Rep. Ocasio Cortez as a surprisingly heavy favorite — this time, 54-33 — to unseat Sen. Schumer in a hypothetical Democratic primary (although it appears this poll only surveyed Democrats in New York City rather than statewide).