Trump open to preemptive pardons for administration officials: What to know

President Donald Trump has reportedly stated that he is open to granting preemptive pardons to administration officials before leaving office.

This comes during a Time interview published on Thursday. The magazine asked the president whether he was weighing executive clemency for administration staff if Democrats regained power and attempted to probe them, Trump replied, “ Yeah, sure I’d do that.”

Biden issued preemptive pardons to protect servants who were threatened during the 2024 presidential campaign including former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci and lawmakers on the House committee that investigated the Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol.

According to the report, Trump said in a meeting that I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval. While the House has the legislative supremacy to hold individuals in contempt of Congress, it lacks the power to bring criminal charges. Trump issued clemency to 143 people on the last day of Trump’s first term in office including his former chief strategist ally Steve Bannon who had been indicted on wire fraud charges but had stood trial.