A group of House Democrats leading the End Corruption Caucus has introduced new legislation aimed at curbing what they describe as a flourishing “pardon economy” during President Trump’s second term. Introduced on Wednesday by Representatives Mike Levin and Jason Crow, the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act seeks to bring greater oversight to executive clemency actions that could involve favors for donors or presidential allies. Yet it offers an early look at how Democrats, fresh off sweeping midterm wins, may use their new majorities to scrutinize Mr. Trump’s freewheeling use of the pardon power, the bill stands almost no chance of surviving Mr. Trump’s veto pen. According to he, His concerns extend beyond Mr. Trump. How well did Kalshi predict the midterms. Congress returns for lame-duck sprint after GOP midterm losses.
Representative Levin, a California Democrat, characterized the current system as a “pardon industrial complex” in an exclusive interview, asserting that individuals are essentially paying to purchase pardons. According to america has “a pardon industrial complex” where “you literally, for the highest dollar amount, can go and buy a pardon,” Levin, In an exclusive interview with this week.
He argued that the constitutional pardon power was intended for instances of justice and mercy, rather than for the transactions currently under scrutiny.
According to congressional data, roughly 70% of the president’s second-term clemency actions have bypassed the standard Justice Department pardon office, with that figure rising to 92% when including cases involving January 6 defendants.
The proposed legislation would mandate that the Justice Department’s inspector general investigate pardons that present potential conflicts of interest.
Representative Levin pointed to specific examples, such as the pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and reports concerning a deal involving a Venezuelan billionaire’s family. According to as examples, Levin pointed to Mr. Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti-money-laundering program, and, Alina Habba Mildon, while a Justice Department adviser, struck a deal with the family of a Venezuelan billionaire who was pardoned weeks later.
While the bill would also explicitly state that the president and vice president could be prosecuted for trading pardons for value, ban self-pardons, and require disclosure of gifts to projects like presidential libraries, it faces slim odds of surviving a presidential veto. According to and it would ban self-pardons — a power Mr. Trump told “60 Minutes” this month he believes he has, though he, He doesn’t expect to use it. He said, “a statute cannot take it away,” and if he doesn’t, “the statute changes nothing, if the president has that power.
White House officials have staunchly defended the administration’s actions. White House Counsel Will Scharf stated that the president performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner, labeling criticisms as either malicious or ill-informed. Furthermore, the White House maintained that it employs a robust review process involving the Justice Department and counsel, asserting that anyone paying lobbyists for pardons is wasting their money.
Legal experts have expressed significant skepticism regarding the bill’s viability, suggesting it may directly conflict with the Constitution. Former Justice Department adviser Samuel Morison noted that the constitutional remedy for executive abuse is impeachment, rather than legislative regulation of the pardon power. Similarly, law professors Josh Blackman and Brian Kalt argued that the bill’s provisions, particularly those concerning conflicts of interest and self-pardons, are either unconstitutional overreach or purely symbolic. It’s the way this president is misusing the pardon power,” he said. “We’re going to use our power of the purse to ensure the independent investigation of every department, if anything is running afoul of the Constitution. This story published first on at 12:36 p.m. on Nov.
Representative Crow defended the move, stating that the nation cannot accept a two-tiered justice system that favors the wealthy. He emphasized that the goal is to ensure accountability, regardless of who occupies the White House. Levin maintained that the effort to reform pardon practices is an institutional necessity, noting that he had previously expressed disagreement with certain pardons granted during both the Biden and Clinton administrations. And I disagreed with certain pardons during the Clinton years,” Levin said. “Every member of Congress that actually cares about the institution, cares about check, i disagreed with certain pardons during the Biden years.
Despite the legal and political obstacles ahead, Democrats intend to use their committee authority to pursue independent investigations into executive departments. The bill highlights the tension between the president’s broad constitutional discretion and congressional efforts to establish checks on executive privilege, a debate that remains central to the current legislative session. Top White House lawyer warns of “blatant criminality” in Democrats’ investigations push.
