What makes this an illegal pardon?

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.)

He ain’t leaving unless it’s in a casket.