How Trump Could Bury Any of His Goons' Crimes | The Daily Beast Podcast

Sign up for Joanna's new Substack here: https://beast.pub/scream Liz Oyer joins Joanna Coles to expose what she calls Donald Trump’s “pardon economy”—a system that has transformed presidential mercy into something transactional and lucrative. Oyer, the former pardon attorney under Joe Biden, walks through the eye-popping cases: reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley freed after serving just 18 months; crypto titan Changpeng “CZ” Zhao pardoned after brokering billions into the Trump family’s crypto venture; electric truck founder Trevor Milton absolved before paying back investors; and even former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández released despite a 45-year sentence for massive cocaine trafficking. Along the way, they examine the erased restitution—over a billion dollars owed to victims—golf-course clemency pitches, surprise NFL pardons, and the political fallout inside Trump’s own Justice Department. If pardons are, as one scholar puts it, an X-ray into a president’s soul, what does this one reveal about Trump’s second term—and who benefits next? 00:00 - Can Trump Pardon Himself And His Cabinet? 01:30 - The Chrisleys’ Pardon And $1M Denial 07:00 - Pay-To-Play Clemency And Mar-A-Lago Access 10:30 - Binance, Crypto Billions, And National Security Risks 14:00 - Golf Course Pardons And Lobbyist Middlemen 17:30 - Trevor Milton, Campaign Cash, And Wiped-Out Restitution 21:00 - The Juan Orlando Hernández Drug Trafficking Pardon 24:30 - Could Trump Pre-Pardon His Administration? 28:00 - $1.5 Billion In Forgiven Victim Restitution 31:30 - January 6 Pardons And Repeat Offenders 35:00 - Why Voters Aren’t Focused On The Clemency Crisis 38:15 - The Political And Legal Limits Of Pardon Power 41:50 - What Trump’s Pardons Reveal About His Presidency #trump #podcast #news 📖 Title: How Trump Could Bury His Goons' Crimes: Lawyer 👂 Podcast: The Daily Beast Podcast 📺 Episode: 656 🎧 Format: Full Podcast 📅 Date: February 23, 2026 👨‍💼 Guest: Liz Oyer 🎙️ Host: Joanna Coles Click here to become an official member of the Daily Beast's YouTube community: https://youtube.com/@TheDailyBeast/join Have a question or comment for us? Send us an email: [email protected] The Daily Beast is committed to accurate, fair, independent, fast, and accountable journalism. We seek the truth and report it honestly, without fear or favor. We ground robust and provocative opinions in fact. Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDailyBeast?sub_confirmation=1 Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thedailybeast Share this video on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thedailybeast.bsky.social Share this video on X: https://twitter.com/thedailybeast Share this video on Facebook: https://facebook.com/thedailybeast