Trump claims he is for law and order, but his actions tell a different story. Trump repeatedly put his own interests above the law and used his pardon power to help him politically.

Trump became the only recent president to pardon a murderer.

CNN: “Where the military sees possible war crimes, President Donald Trump sees injustice. He is considering Memorial Day pardons for a number of US service members either convicted of or facing trial for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan … But no previous recent president has pardoned a murderer. Until Trump … Trump crossed that line this month when he pardoned Michael Behenna, who had been sentenced to prison in 2009 for unpremeditated murder in the killing of an Iraqi detainee and released on parole in 2014 after his sentence was reduced.”

Trump pardoned military members convicted of or charged with committing war crimes.

New York Times: “President Trump cleared three members of the armed services on Friday who have been accused or convicted of war crimes, overruling military leaders who had sought to punish them. All three have been championed by conservative lawmakers and commentators, who have portrayed them as war heroes unfairly prosecuted for actions taken in the heat and confusion of battle.”

Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio without the traditional review process or consultation with the Justice Department.

Washington Post: “Trump’s Friday-evening decision to issue his first pardon for Arpaio was the culmination of a five-year political friendship with roots in the ‘birther’ movement to undermine President Barack Obama. In an extraordinary exercise of presidential power, Trump bypassed the traditional review process to ensure that Arpaio, who was convicted of contempt of court, would face no time in prison.”

Trump suggested he would pardon allies convicted of or who pleaded guilty to criminal activity in the Mueller investigation.

TRUMP: “No. Roger was a victim of a corrupt and illegal Witch Hunt, one which will go down as the greatest political crime in history. He can sleep well at night!”

TRUMP: “And I’m very, very saddened by what’s happening to General Flynn and others. I want to tell you right now: and others.”

TRUMP: “Well, I’ll just tell you this: Roger Stone was treated very unfairly. Paul Manafort — the black book turned out to be a fraud. We learned that out during the various last number of weeks and months. They had a black book that came out of Ukraine. It turned out to be a fraud. It turned out to be a fraud. They convicted a man; it turned out to be a fraud. General Flynn was a highly respected person, and it turned out to be a scam on him. The FBI said he didn’t lie. And Mueller’s people wanted him to go to jail. Okay?”

Trump pardoned Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were convicted for arson of public lands.

Associated Press: “President Donald Trump has pardoned two ranchers whose case sparked the armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon. Dwight and Steven Hammond were convicted in 2012 of intentionally and maliciously setting fires on public lands. The arson crime carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic federal judge, on his last day before retirement, decided the penalty was too stiff and gave the father and son much lighter prison terms.”