Trump Says He Would Consider Pardoning Officials

President Donald Trump said he would consider pardoning members of his administration before leaving office, but he did not name potential recipients or announce a plan to issue pardons. In an interview published October 1, Trump was asked whether he would consider the move if Democrats regained power and investigated his administration. He replied, “Yeah, sure I’d do that,” and pointed to former President Joe Biden’s use of preemptive pardons before leaving office in January 2025. Trump criticized Biden’s pardons and questioned whether he should be barred from using the same power. Among those Biden pardoned were Anthony Fauci, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Biden said the pardons were intended to protect people from possible politically motivated investigations or prosecutions by the incoming administration. The exchange arose during a discussion of the possibility that Democrats could regain control of Congress and scrutinize Trump’s administration. Trump said Democrats would probably pursue him and that he would respond in kind.