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The Mysterious Forces Behind Michelino Sunseri's Presidential Pardon

The Mysterious Forces Behind Michelino Sunseri’s Presidential Pardon

What started as a trail runner trying to set a speed record on the Grand Teton turned into a story of wealth, power, and influence in the battle over public land in the American West.

Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has pardoned hundreds of people convicted of drug trafficking, obstructing access to abortion clinics, fraud of one kind or another, or offenses related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Amid the dizzying sameness of the list, one leaps off the page, wedged between former baseball star Darryl Strawberry (tax evasion) and billionaire British businessman Joseph Lewis (conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud): professional trail runner Michelino Sunseri, 33, for “Leaving the Garnet Canyon Trail to use the shortcut of the Old Climber’s Trail in violation of the Superintendent’s 2024 Compendium.”

That pardon was so unusual that outlets from The Guardian to Reason covered it as breaking news. The New York Times said Sunseri’s pardon “stands out as nonpolitical,” while TMZ’s headline proclaimed, “My Trail Blazing Record Took a Rough Turn… President Trump Put Me Back on Track!!!”

Some celebrated the news as a just response to overcriminalization; others decried it for sending the message that rules protecting public lands don’t matter.

Altogether, Sunseri’s pardon arguably received more coverage than Strawberry’s, which Trump issued the same day, or even George Santos’ for wire fraud three weeks prior. In many running and outdoor circles, it overshadowed news that Trump had also just granted clemency to nearly 80 people accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, including his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani.