US President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to pardon senior officials from his administration before leaving office, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources.
“I will pardon anyone who comes within 60 meters of the Oval Office“, Trump said at a recent meeting, provoking laughter from the audience. His words were reported by sources to the publication.
Another source of the newspaper, who met with Trump this year, said that the US president joked about pardoning anyone who came within 3 meters of the Oval Office.
60 meters is roughly equivalent to 200 feet, and 3 meters is 10 feet.
Last year, during a conversation with advisers, Trump promised to hold a press conference before leaving office and announce mass pardons, several witnesses said. They said the president did not specify whether he was offering clemency for any specific crime.
The White House did not confirm the newspaper's report.
“The Wall Street Journal needs to learn to take jokes seriously, but the president's right to pardon is absolute,“ said White House press secretary Caroline Levitt.
Last fall, Trump pardoned aides accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election. Among those pardoned were former presidential lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump's former 2020 chief of staff Mark Meadows and longtime adviser Boris Epstein.
In addition, since taking office, Trump has pardoned, commuted sentences and ordered the dismissal of criminal cases against approximately 1,500 people involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. 2021. A total of approximately 1,270 people have been convicted in cases related to the attack on the Capitol. Approximately 1,600 have been charged, and nearly 80% of the defendants have pleaded guilty.