Trump pardons serial arsonists

Remember the Hammonds? The Hammonds are a ranching family in Oregon that became heroes to the Far Right after family members were convicted of intentionally starting wildfires. The Hammonds were supported by extremists who launched a 5-week-long standoff at Malheur Wildlife Refuge in 2016.

Dwight Hammond Jr. and Steven Hammond had been convicted of arson back in 2012 and sentenced to 5 years in federal prison and $400,000 in restitution in 2015. One of the fires they started almost killed Bureau of Land Management firefighters.

Now Donald Trump has given each of them a full pardon. Trump's White House issued a statement saying the arsonists are "respected in the community." The statement goes on to whine about how unfair the world has been to the Hammonds.

What message does this send? It shows Trump has the backs of right-wing extremists who might get violent when he faces criminal charges himself.

Once again, in the upside-down world of the Tea Party, crime pays.

Kind of like when the Tea Party sells heroin.