Trump: "I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval" before leaving office

[Miles Archer]

Trump has repeatedly promised his top administration officials pardons before he leaves office, according to people who have heard his comments.

“I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval,” Trump said in a recent meeting to laughs, according to people with knowledge of the comments. That radius appears to be expanding as the president repeats the line. Another person who met with Trump earlier this year said the president quipped about pardoning anyone who had come within 10 feet.

In one conversation with advisers in the dining room next to the Oval Office last year, Trump said he would host a news conference and announce mass pardons before he left office, some of the people said. The people said they weren’t aware of specific pardons being offered to specific people for specific acts.

The unconditional power to pardon is one of the most sweeping powers offered to the presidency. This term, Trump has wielded clemency far differently than any other president, dispensing some 1,600 grants to date. Many have gone to allies and donors, or those who had hired them, coming after a social pull-aside or a round of golf. Some have received bipartisan criticism, including one to a crypto billionaire whose company boosted Trump’s own digital-currency company, and another to a former Honduran president convicted of conspiring with cartels to ship cocaine to the U.S. In Trump’s first term, he signed fewer than 250 pardons and commutations.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-promises-mass-pardons-to-staff-before-leaving-office-d7274d32

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Giving Free License to the Shock Troops

The True Believers. This should be illegal. Machiavellian.

[Deuxcents]

2. Just leave. Today. We can deal with the legalities, later

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Everyone who came within 200 feet of the Offal Office in this regime belongs in jail.

[Traildogbob]

4. Each one should

Have to have “MAGA Pardon” carved into their foreheads, like Brad Pitt did to Natzeeees with swastika in “Inglorious Basterds” so they could never just merge back into society.

[Cheezoholic]

5. Ima gonna take a White House tour then go rob a bank!! ;)

[pat_k]

6. Perhaps he'll be brought down by a stroke before he does this.

I wonder how many obviously forged pardons would suddenly materialize?

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Good Luck you fortunate ones with your next job interview.

You are tainted.

A pardon won't erase that.

[Emrys]

8. So now he's planning to leave office?

Baby steps, I guess.

[hlthe2b]

9. I want the AG's of every state that has the potential to charge these people to do so...

Let them enjoy their Federal pardons, while they face state charges for the next 3-5 years and depending on the charges (where appropriate) may face serious state crime penalties that are even easier than Federal to prove.

[flvegan]

10. He's basically telling everyone it's okay to commit whatever crimes he asks/demands

for the next couple years, as he'll just pardon them. Simple.

Hey dipshits, just remember, he lies.

[Boo1]

11. Yeah, he says thay now

But bet your bottom dollar the only people getting one will be the ones who wrote a big enough check.

[D_Master81]

12. Unfortunately not much we can do

Biden preemptively pardoned people and Trump will argue he can do the same. Trump will probably pardon about 100x more people preemptively but what can you do?

[spanone]

13. When you're administration is chocked-full of criminals you probably need to.

[moondust]

14. Banks better double their security

until he's gone.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

15. Trump, Hegseth, and any eligible parties need to go to The Hague. I don't want to hear any excuses