Pardon Blitz? Trump Openly Talking About Doling Out Presidential Pardons According to New Report
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A new report says President Donald Trump wants to go on a pardoning spree before he leaves office.
Sources for Axios have told the outlet that Trump is considering dishing out pardons “like Christmas gifts” and asking people close to him who he should grant clemency. One adviser told Axios that Trump said he would pardon “every person who ever talked to me,” though it wasn’t clear if he was being serious, and Trump is also thinking about pardoning people who haven’t even asked for it.
“Trump has also interrupted conversations to spontaneously suggest that he add the person he’s speaking with to his pardon list,” Axios wrote. Their sources also said Trump’s offers seemed awkward at times when he thought about pardoning people whose legal exposure is unclear, plus being pardoned by Trump might actually be a public liability for some people.
Ever since Trump pardoned former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, there have been recurring questions about how he might wield his pardoning powers before President-Elect Joe Biden takes office.
Some previous reports have indicated that Trump is thinking about issuing a “pre-emptive pardon” for certain allies. Other reports say the Department of Justice is looking at a potential scheme where the White House accepted bribes in exchange for clemency. Finally, there’s the matter that Fox News host and Trump ally Sean Hannity recommended the president “pardon his whole family and himself” or the “witch hunt” against him won’t stop once he’s out of office.
