I do agree it makes a very public attachment to Trump. However she was already nicknamed “Lady Trump” so she was already pretty attached.

Either way we agree that the pardon is a terrible act and the crime, which should not have been pardoned, was also a terrible act.

That’s my point, unless he is aware of additional crimes Trump has nothing on this woman. She was convicted of a crime, it happened, that doesn’t go away. What goes away is the punishment.

Additionally the pardon power is absolute, even Trump knows that as he’s been bitching about being unable to do anything after Biden preemptively pardoned a handful of people.

Now if you could uncover some type of quid pro quo for this pardon that would be a new crime and you could get both of them on that (possibly). Although I’m think technically Trump could sell pardons and that would be legal. It would be abhorrent. It would be unethical. But it would legal. (Although hopefully he would be impeached, but that’s also a separate process.)

Trump gave her a pardon, how is she fucked if he goes away?

Now looking at her past she’s done plenty of other terrible things, and after this she’ll likely continue to do terrible things. So it won’t be long until she needs another pardon for a new crime (or the uncovering of an existing crime).

She was also already a Trump loyalist.

So this is less a “bribe” and more a “reward”.