Is Donald Trump Issuing 250 Presidential Pardons For The 250th Year Of American Independence?
Is Donald Trump Issuing 250 Presidential Pardons For The 250th Year Of American Independence? Published By, Last Updated: June 30, 2026, 20:23 IST A '250
Is Donald Trump Issuing 250 Presidential Pardons For The 250th Year Of American Independence? Published By, Last Updated: June 30, 2026, 20:23 IST A '250 for 250' clemency plan has triggered a lobbying scramble, with fixers reportedly quoting $1 million to $2 million per case. Rapid Read US President Donald Trump. (Reuters Image) The White House is weighing a mass clemency announcement timed to the Fourth of July weekend, according to 14 people familiar with internal discussions cited by The Atlantic. The proposal, described informally as “250 pardons for 250 years," would mark the country’s 250th anniversary with one of the largest single clemency actions in presidential history. President Trump has used the pardon power more aggressively than his recent predecessors, who typically issued clemency quietly and late in their terms. On his first day back in office, he pardoned or commuted nearly 1,600 people connected to the January 6 Capitol riot. He has since spoken publicly about pardoning aides and allies preemptively. One adviser, speaking to The Atlantic, said internal polling suggested a mass pardon could boost the president’s standing, though action before July 4 was considered unlikely. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that 250 pardons were under consideration. Supporters frame it as reinforcing an image the president has cultivated: “Trump the merciful," a person close to the White House said. The Lobbying Scramble Five current and former administration officials and nine lawyers and lobbyists with ties to Trump’s circle described intense jockeying among people seeking clemency.
One criminal-defence attorney called it “a three-ring circus"; and a former administration official called it “batshit crazy." All spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of ongoing cases. A former Trump associate approached to help facilitate a pardon said the dynamic differs from Trump’s first term, when efforts to broker access were kept under wraps. “Everything is now out in the open," the person said, adding that for those seeking clemency, “now is the time." One attorney said, “In 30 years of practising law, I’ve never seen anything like this." The push has drawn support from pardon czar Alice Johnson and Justice Department pardon attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. Advocates frame it as linking the Fourth of July theme of freedom to correcting sentences they consider products of an overly punitive system, or what they describe as “weaponisation" of justice under prior administrations. Who Is Reportedly Under Consideration Three people familiar with the discussions named Low Taek Jho, the Malaysian fugitive known as “Jho Low," wanted in connection with the multibillion-dollar 1MDB fraud scheme, as a possible recipient. Fugees member Pras Michel, convicted of conspiring with Low and a Chinese government official on an illegal lobbying campaign tied to the case, is also reportedly under consideration, along with Nicole Daedone, co-founder of the “orgasmic meditation" company OneTaste, sentenced to nine years on forced-labour conspiracy charges. A OneTaste spokesperson, Juda S. Engelmayer, said the company was aware people were advocating for Daedone but had received no contact from the White House.
The BriefWire