Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he couldn’t understand why Trump issued the pardon, adding that it undercut the president’s efforts to crack down on drug traffickers at home and abroad, including in Venezuela. Trump has ratcheted up threats against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, amassing warships off the coast of his country and striking boats the Trump administration claims were smuggling drugs.
“I hate it,” Tillis told reporters on Tuesday about the Hernandez pardon. “It’s a horrible message. I mean, it’s confusing to say, on the one hand, we should potentially even consider invading Venezuela for a drug trafficker, and on the other hand, let somebody go.”
“The investigation started during the Trump administration,” he added. “The trial, I think, occurred during the Biden administration. I just think it’s horrible optics. I mean, we’re sending a mixed message. A dude that was convicted of trafficking 400 tons of cocaine… and let them go. Does that make sense?”