CNN's Chris Cuomo sees an 'obvious' and 'ugly' formula to Trump's pardons


On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned two Oregon ranchers serving time for arson on public lands, calling the punishments against Dwight and Steven Hammond "overzealous" and "unjust." The sentencing of the Hammonds was a primary inspiration for the 2016 armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon by scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy's sons and supporters.
"Why does this seem like newfound religion for Trump in siding with the cattlemen?" CNN's Chris Cuomo asked Tuesday night. "Because it is. During the Oregon occupation, Donald Trump, at that time, sided with the government," telling The New York Times that "you cannot let people take over federal property" and "you have to be firm and you have to be strong." So why did the Trump White House side with the ranchers on Tuesday and slam the Obama administration for being firm and strong? he asked. "What's the formula" for Trump's executive clemency, including the controversial pardons of Joe Arpaio, Scooter Libby, and Dinesh D'Souza? "Obama bad, Trump good, and if you are angry and act on it, I will protect you, even if you break the law," Cuomo said. "The message is as obvious as it is ugly." Watch below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants