The White House is defending President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced, arguing the case became an example of politically driven prosecution and citing the timing of the federal investigation that followed her 2020 endorsement of Trump for reelection.
A White House official, granted anonymity because the administration has a policy of discussing pardons on background, said Vázquez’s case was “an example of political persecution,” and noted that investigators opened the probe 10 days after she endorsed Trump in 2020. The pardon also extends to Vázquez’s co defendants: banker Julio Martín Herrera Velutini and former FBI agent Mark Rossini.
Key takeaways
- The White House framed the pardon as a response to what an official called “political persecution.”
- The administration pointed to the investigation timeline: 10 days after the 2020 endorsement.
- The pardon covers Vázquez and co-defendants Herrera Velutini and Rossini.
- Critics in Puerto Rico argue the move undermines public integrity and trust in justice.
The White House’s defense: “political persecution,” not public corruption
The administration’s defense hinges on motive and proportionality. According to the White House official, Vázquez’s clemency materials dispute any quid pro quo—an exchange of official action for campaign support—and characterize the prosecution as politically motivated.
Central to that argument is timing: the official highlighted that the investigation began shortly after Vázquez’s endorsement of Trump in 2020 , presenting the sequence as evidence that politics—not the merits—drove the case. Supporters of the pardon argue that when prosecutions are perceived as partisan, the legal process can function as punishment on its own, draining reputations and ending political careers long before a court renders final judgmen
From indictment to a narrowed resolution
Federal authorities arrested and charged Vázquez in 2022 in a public-corruption case tied to allegations surrounding her 2020 gubernatorial campaign. Prosecutors alleged that campaign support was linked to decisions involving Puerto Rico’s banking regulator
Over time, the case narrowed materially. Vázquez pleaded guilty in 2025 to a campaign finance violation involving acceptance of a promised campaign contribution that was never received, and she was awaiting sentencing when Trump’s pardon was issued.
The backlash in Puerto Rico
The administration, however, is using the pardon to advance a broader point: that high-profile prosecutions can become political instruments, and that presidential clemency is intended—at least in part—to correct outcomes the executive branch views as unjust or disproportionate.
