Liz Oyer, a former employee of the U.S. Department of Justice, found herself unceremoniously dismissed in March after refusing to endorse the restoration of firearm rights to actor Mel Gibson, who had a prior domestic violence conviction. The Trump administration, allegedly influenced by Gibson’s friendship with the president, attempted to pressure Oyer, who worked within the office responsible for handling pardon requests. However, she remained steadfast in her refusal. Subsequently, she was escorted from the building by security personnel under the direction of DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
While Oyer never received an official explanation for her termination, the prevailing sentiment suggests it stemmed directly from her denial of Gibson’s request.
In a different era, Oyer’s experience might have remained largely unknown to the public. However, the rise of social media has provided her with a direct platform to communicate her perspective and shed light on what she perceives as corrupt practices within the Trump administration. Oyer has embraced TikTok and Instagram as tools to explain the alleged corrupt nature of Trump’s pardons, particularly those granted to wealthy donors. Her insights are proving to be informative and engaging for many viewers.
One of Oyer’s most popular TikTok videos focuses on the concept of restitution, the requirement for convicted criminals to repay the money they have stolen. She expertly illustrates how Trump’s pardons of numerous individuals have resulted in approximately $1.2 billion in restitution (and counting) remaining unpaid. These pardons not only nullify convictions but also eliminate the associated financial obligations.
For instance, Trevor Milton, the founder of EV company Nikola, received a pardon from Trump last month. Prior to his pardon, Milton faced a demand of $675 million in restitution to compensate investors he was convicted of defrauding. With the pardon, this financial obligation has vanished. As Oyer points out in her video, Milton had previously donated $1.8 million to President Trump’s campaign. Furthermore, he had engaged the services of Brad Bondi, the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In an apparent defense of his pardon of Milton, President Trump reportedly stated that Milton’s only transgression was supporting Trump, an act not considered a crime. Trump’s statement was rambling and seemingly disconnected from the actual facts of the case. In reality, Milton was found guilty of staging a fraudulent demonstration of a semi-truck for the benefit of investors.
Oyer recently spoke with Gizmodo, describing herself as a "social media neophyte." Prior to last week, she maintained a private Instagram account but had limited experience with other social media platforms. A family member convinced her to try TikTok. She shared some valuable tips, including the suggestion of introducing oneself early in each video.
"A younger cousin of mine really encouraged me to take my story to TikTok because they believed that I would potentially reach a larger and different audience there. And it took some prodding,” Oyer explained.
“A couple of content creators with a lot of followers, including my cousin, were kind enough to sit me down and give me a 90-minute tutorial on how TikTok works. And after that, it still took me maybe about a week to actually work up the courage to make a video for TikTok,” Oyer said.
“So it was a process. And I have to admit that I was skeptical at first about whether it was something that I could even do,” Oyer added. “But, you know, I actually feel like they were right. It’s been a very effective way to reach a different and very engaged audience.”
Oyer’s background includes working as a public defender. She states that her primary objective at the DOJ was to ensure fair treatment and clemency for individuals who had been unjustly treated by the criminal justice system.
“My primary goal as pardon attorney was to really make the clemency process accessible to people who had been treated unfairly by the criminal justice system and to make the possibility of clemency a reality for those people who had faced sentences that were overly harsh,” Oyer explained. “And those people are not the type of people that we are seeing getting pardons under this administration.”
Oyer notes that Trump’s pardons have predominantly favored wealthy donors or individuals who have displayed loyalty to him.
In addition to the financial implications of the unpaid restitution, Oyer highlights the problematic aspect of Trump’s pardons being granted to individuals who have not even completed their sentences.
“The Justice Department has a whole set of guidelines that lay out the criteria for recommending pardons, and they say that someone should not even be considered for a pardon until they have completed their sentence and at least five years have passed since they finished serving their sentence,” Oyer stated. “So historically, pardons are generally viewed as something that go to people who have served their sentence, paid their debt, demonstrated rehabilitation and good conduct in the time that has elapsed. And those criteria are all absent in every one of the pardons that Trump has granted to date.”
Oyer also discusses the cases of individuals such as Paul Walczak, a health care entrepreneur who allegedly skimmed money from his employees’ paychecks, and Michele Fiore, a justice of the peace in Las Vegas who allegedly misused funds raised for a police officer memorial for personal expenses like plastic surgery.
Oyer was invited to testify on Capitol Hill regarding Trump’s actions that she believes undermine the rule of law. Prior to her testimony, her former employer reportedly attempted to intimidate her. According to Oyer, two armed special deputy U.S. Marshals delivered a letter warning her against testifying. Despite this, she decided to speak out.
Oyer has reported receiving some negative comments from Trump supporters but states that the majority of her interactions on social media have been positive. She has also received insightful questions from viewers, which have inspired ideas for future videos.
Oyer plans to continue creating videos as long as there is public interest in her insights. Her expertise provides a unique perspective on the pardons and the dynamics surrounding them.
