Trump says he’s ‘allowed’ to preemptively pardon junior administration staffers

Read more... PALM BEACH COUNTY — President Donald Trump voiced openness toward preemptively pardoning junior officials within his administration to shield them from potential Democratic-led congressional probes following the 2026 midterm elections.The president fielded questions from reporters for nearly 20 minutes after casting his own 2026 votes at the offices of the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Saturday afternoon. Recommended Stories Obama rips Ramaswamy after Acton ad: ‘No office that is worth stopping that low’ WATCH LIVE: Obama campaigns for el Sayed in Detroit Obama endorses Angie Nixon after cry for support to party leadership #mos-d526c61f-0059-4e9b-9fa7-afe88104d7a0 > section { display: none; }@scope (#mos-a32c5174-3fec-473e-8d34-a2aa65db5f70) { .we-page-content { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 32px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333; } .we-page-headline { font-size: 42px; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 24px; font-weight: bold; } .we-paywall-text { font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5; color: #555; } .we-inline-barrier { --we-red: #DB3745; --we-charcoal: #323E48; --we-blue: #15BEF0; --we-slate: #85A0AB; --we-gold: #ECC270; --we-white: #ffffff; position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; max-width: 722px; /* Reduced another 15% from 850px */ margin: 14px auto; border-radius: 14px; /* Reduced another 15% from 17px */ color: #fff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background: linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(50,62,72,.99) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.92) 43%, rgba(50,62,72,.48) 68%, rgba(50,62,72,.22) 100%), linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(50,62,72,.70), rgba(50,62,72,.08) 50%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6add3d60180ad.png") right center / 50% 100% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { position: relative; z-index: 2; max-width: 382px; /* Reduced another 15% from 450px */ padding: clamp(20px, 2.9vw, 42px); /* Reduced another 15% */ } .we-title { margin: 0 0 20px; /* Reduced another 15% from 24px */ font-family: Constantia, "Lucida Bright", "DejaVu Serif", Georgia, "serif"; font-size: clamp(25px, 3.4vw, 46px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: .98; letter-spacing: -.035em; color: white!important; } .we-title span { display: block; color: var(--we-red); } .we-deck { margin: 0 0 21px; /* Reduced another 15% from 25px */ max-width: 360px; /* Reduced another 15% from 425px */ font-size: clamp(12px, 1.2vw, 18px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: 1.55; color: white!important; } .we-cta { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 11px; /* Reduced another 15% from 13px */ width: min(100%, 318px); /* Reduced another 15% from 374px */ padding: 12px 17px; /* Reduced another 15% */ border-radius: 8px; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ background: var(--we-red); color: #fff !important; text-decoration: none; font-size: clamp(12px, 1.3vw, 19px); /* Reduced another 15% */ font-weight: 700; } .we-cta:hover, .we-cta:focus-visible { filter: brightness(.94); } .we-arrow { font-size: 1.35em; font-weight: 400; } .we-member, .we-cancel { font-size: clamp(10px, 1vw, 15px); /* Reduced another 15% from 18px */ line-height: 1.4; } .we-member { margin: 18px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 21px */ color: white !important; } .we-cancel { margin: 8px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ color: white !important; } .we-member a { color: var(--we-red); text-decoration: none; } @media (max-width: 820px) { .we-inline-barrier { background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(50,62,72,.42) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.94) 45%, rgba(50,62,72,1) 100%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6add3d60180ad.png") top right / 100% 50% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { max-width: none; padding-top: 35%; } .we-cta { width: 100%; } } .we-print-subscriber, .we-digital-subscriber { text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: #333; } .we-print-subscriber { margin-top: 12px; } .we-digital-subscriber { margin-top: 6px; } .we-print-subscriber a, .we-digital-subscriber a { color: #DB3745; text-decoration: underline; } }if (typeof CSSScopeRule == 'undefined') { const style = document.getElementById('mos-a32c5174-3fec-473e-8d34-a2aa65db5f70-style'); if (style) { style.textContent = style.textContent.replace(/^@scope (#mos-a32c5174-3fec-473e-8d34-a2aa65db5f70) { /, '').replace(/}$/, '');}} Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account. Full midterm coverage.Deeper analysis. Get unlimited access to Washington Examiner's reporting, expert analysis, and coverage of the midterm elections. Get Unlimited Access › Cancel anytime. (window._matherq = window._matherq || []).push([ 'paywallEvent', { type: 'paywall', category: 'block', action: 'stop', wall_type: 'paywall' } ]);