This Week In Blunders – Sept. 6-12
“Is there no place left for repentance, none for pardon left?” – John Milton, “Paradise Lost.”
Investors lost millions buying stock of electric-truck startup Nikola. Founder Trevor Milton was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding them. But President Donald Trump granted his freedom with a full pardon in March 2025.
Milton thinks it’s a free pass to stiff his investors.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled otherwise.
Now Milton will have to face a potentially costly investor lawsuit.
He’s failed to overturn a $167.7 million arbitration award that Nikola won against him, much of it stemming from the company’s 2021 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And on Thursday, another judge rejected his attempt to use the pardon to salvage the nearly $70 million claim he filed against Nikola in bankruptcy court.
Contrary to some viral claims online, Trump is not Jesus. And not even Jesus’ forgiveness suspends the earthly consequences of one’s actions. Did this fraudster actually think he was going to Trump heaven?
