Summary
President Donald Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking. This decision came just before Honduras's presidential election. Hernández had been convicted for moving a significant amount of cocaine to the United States.
Key Facts
- President Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, a former Honduran leader, who was in jail for drug trafficking.
- Hernández was serving a 45-year sentence for moving 400 tons of cocaine to the U.S.
- The pardon occurred just days before the Honduran presidential election.
- Trump warned of cutting U.S. aid to Honduras if a conservative candidate did not win.
- Nasry Asfura, the conservative candidate, was slightly trailing centrist Salvador Nasralla in a close election race.
- Hernández wrote a letter to Trump, comparing his case to the prosecutions Trump faced after the 2020 U.S. election.
- The current Honduran president, Xiomara Castro, and her party have been criticized for economic and corruption issues.
- Honduras had severed ties with Taiwan in 2023, which impacted its economy and is now a key issue in the election.
