Let’s not sugarcoat it: the modern Republican Party has morphed into a machine that rewards grift, forgives crime, and throws a gold-plated lifeline to its most shameless crooks. And if you think that’s hyperbole, take a deep breath and read this list.
Five former Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, all convicted of serious crimes. All pardoned by one man: Donald J. Trump.
Chris Collins (R–NY): Caught red-handed in an insider trading scandal. Used his position to line his pockets, lied to the FBI, and still got a pat on the back from Trump in the form of a presidential pardon.
Duncan D. Hunter (R–CA): Blew over $150,000 of campaign funds on personal expenses—think vacations, video games, and his pet rabbit. He admitted to it. Got sentenced. Trump pardoned him anyway.
Rick Renzi (R–AZ): Convicted of extortion, bribery, and money laundering. He sold out public land for profit. Did the time. Got the Trump clean-slate treatment.
Mark Siljander (R–MI): Obstruction of justice. Acting as an unregistered foreign agent for a shady charity linked to terrorism. That’s not a script from a spy thriller, it’s a Republican Congressman. And yes, he got a pardon.
Randall “Duke” Cunningham (R–CA): Took more than $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. Served 8 years. Then, like the others, got his sins wiped away with a stroke of Trump’s pen.
Now take a moment and ask yourself: where are the Democrats on this list?
Nowhere. Not one Democratic member of the House in the last decade has been convicted of a felony or handed a pardon by a Democratic president. Not one.
This isn’t just a fluke. It’s a feature. The Republican playbook now includes a chapter titled “Crime Pays. If You’re One of Us.”
Trump told us back in 2015 he’d own the Republican Party because they were weak. Turns out he wasn’t just making a prediction, he was laying out his business model. And they signed on the dotted line.
He took over the party not with ideas, not with integrity, but by tapping into the deepest rot: power without accountability. And when his cronies got caught, he didn't flinch. He handed them get-out-of-jail-free cards like they were candy.
This is what rot looks like. A party that not only refuses to clean house, it turns corruption into credentials.
And no, this isn’t about left vs. right. This is about right vs. wrong. Because when the rule of law becomes optional for the politically connected, democracy itself is on life support.
So here’s a reminder: integrity matters. Accountability matters. And facts still matter.
And here’s the truth: if you still believe the GOP is the party of law and order, it’s time to yank your head out of the 1980s. And to all you MAGA diehards catching felony charges, hate to break it to you, but you’re not rich enough or useful enough to matter to Orange Shitler anymore. You voted for him. Now you’re just collateral. Dumb fucks.
Read this on Substack where it first appeared — if you’re into that sort of thing.
