Donald Trump intends to wipe away the Department of Justice investigations into his allies if he returns to the White House, according to a pair of sources.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Rolling Stone the former president has been telling confidantes he would pardon any allies charged by the Department of Justice during Joe Biden's presidency, and he said those moves would come early if he's re-elected to a second term.
“This would be like hitting the delete-key on all of [the] DOJ’s work on these investigations — and be an opening shot in his next war on the ‘Deep State,’” said one of the sources.
The Justice Department is investigating the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss that culminated in the Jan. 6 insurrection, as well as the classified materials he took from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, and Trump vowed at last weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference that he would not leave the 2024 campaign if he is indicted.
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“It’s undeniable that, if elected yet again (heaven forbid), [Trump] can issue all these possible pardons related to the efforts to cling to power and even the Mar-a-Lago classified documents," said Ty Cobb, who represented Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller's probe. "That would, of course, be a travesty, and it underscores yet again my firm anxiety about our current democracy … because the man is a complete narcissist and inherently evil.”
However, some close to the former president doubt he would take a political risk by pardoning his allies.
“Trump could have done all of this before he left office originally, but was too concerned about the second impeachment and his own reelection campaign when he knew he was leaving office, so he left advisers, lawyers, and Jan. 6 defendants on the field,” said one person close to Trump. “Why trust he’s going to do something now when, if it’s politically expedient for him, he didn’t before? He demands loyalty, but doesn’t provide it reciprocally to his own team.”
