Research the actual underlying cases: Were these legitimate prosecutions for environmental violations, or politically motivated? Demand media coverage of the original offenses, not just the pardon narrative.
This scores as List B (distraction-dominant) because while pardons do erode rule-of-law norms (A=35), the framing as 'persecution' correction and victim narrative generates disproportionate media attention (B=64). The constitutional harm is real but moderate—pardons are within presidential authority, though using them to delegitimize predecessor enforcement creates dangerous precedent. The high distraction score reflects intentional narrative construction ('fixing their car' folksy framing) that redirects from substantive governance questions to partisan grievance theater.