Trump Eyeing Mass Pardoning Spree On His Birthday, Reports the WSJ

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump is considering whether to pardon 250 people as a symbolic celebration of the USA’s 250th birthday this summer — or whether to tie the pardons to his own birthday bash a month prior — the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The report said the plan is still in “preliminary discussions” and did not mention specific people Trump is considering pardoning. It also said staffers in Trump’s orbit are pushing back on the plan.

“Some in the White House have raised concerns about doing too many more pardons, or any at all, before the midterm elections this fall, some of the people said,” per the report.

Another option Trump is debating instead: whether to announce the 250 pardons on June 14th, which is both Flag Day and the day he will celebrate his 80th birthday.

The Journal noted Trump’s “expanded” use of the pardon during his second term has led to “a surge in pardon requests.” There were more than 16,000 pardon requests last year — a record going back to 1937, the story said.

Some high-profile examples of people seeking a pardon from Trump include FTX crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried looking for a get-out-of-jail-free card, although Trump has publicly scoffed at that idea.

The lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell has also floated the idea in exchange for Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice testifying, but there have been no signs that will be one of Trump’s pardons, either; a document released as part of the Epstein Files earlier this year showed Trump thanking Florida cops for investigating Epstein back in 2006 — and urging them to probe “evil” Maxwell as well.

Wednesday’s report noted Trump has given out some notable pardons so far in his second term, including to Binance crypto founder Changpeng Zhao and Ross Ulbricht, who started the Silk Road digital black market.

“A White House official said there are always conversations about how to best carry out the president’s priorities, but no decisions had been made,” the WSJ report added. “Trump is the ultimate decision maker on any clemency-related actions, the official added.”

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