‘A classic authoritarian tactic’: outrage over Trump’s pardons for friends and allies

Ex-prosecutors and legal scholars say US president meting out pardons for blatantly corrupt and self-serving ends'

Donald Trump's unprecedented pardoning spree for political and business friends since returning to the White House has prompted warnings from ex-prosecutors and legal scholars of corrupt" pay-to-play schemes, conflicts of interest and blatant partisanship.

It has included hundreds of Maga allies, a cryptocurrency mogul with ties to a Trump family crypto firm, disgraced politicians, and others who could yield political and financial benefits.