Trump Weighs Staff Pardons

What happened

Updated Oct 24, 6:55pm ET

White House attorneys are evaluating whether President Donald Trump should issue broad preemptive pardons to junior administration staffers. The push follows calls from Trump allies and conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation and American Moment, for pardons or legal-fee help for staff facing possible investigations or lawsuits. It has grown amid Democratic warnings of future probes if the party wins congressional majorities in November. Trump said he had not considered the idea before, but believed he could pardon staffers. He said innocent employees should not face costly investigations, citing former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons. A pardon for all junior staff is considered unlikely, and the White House has not publicly confirmed the discussions.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets framed the talks as a major broadening of Trump’s pardon thinking, with sharper attention to scale and legal rationale. Raw Story stressed the move from prominent aides toward rank-and-file employees carrying out administration policies. AlterNet questioned the logic of shielding staff from congressional scrutiny, saying prosecution rests with the Justice Department, not Congress. MEDIAite emphasized Trump’s argument that Biden’s pardons made the idea sensible.

How the right told it

Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: Washington Examiner, under the headline “Trump says he's 'allowed' to preemptively pardon junior administration staffers”.