Trump Says He'd Consider Pardons For Allies If Democrats Win Midterms

President Trump said Monday that he was willing to consider pardons for his allies, including Elon Musk, if Democrats won the midterm elections.

The Details: In an interview with Pod Force One, Trump said, "We'll just have to protect those people. I would if I needed to, sure. I would not even think about it. I'd do it, I did it for J6." He also noted that former President Biden pardoned several people before leaving office, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, Hunter Biden, Gen. Mark Milley and the members and staff of the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot.

For Context: At the beginning of his second term, Trump pardoned nearly 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Wall Street Journal (Center bias) reported that Democrats have vowed to investigate the Trump administration if they win one or both chambers of Congress in the midterms, including allegations of pay-to-play pardons, the Kennedy Center renovation and Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding.

Democrat Attacks: The New York Post (Right) described calls from Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) last month that a Democratic majority should prosecute "signature cases" against "the people who enable Trump" as a way to make young conservatives think twice about taking jobs with the Trump administration. It also mentioned other calls from Democrats to prosecute former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers, like Edward Coristine. The Post included Trump calling the polls "rigged" and saying the size of his rally crowds suggest Republicans will do better than expected on Tuesday.

RELATED: Elon Musk Responds to Potential Democratic Investigations After Midterm Elections

Trump-Musk Contracts: Forbes (Center) reported Musk's companies have received $10 billion in government contracts and grants since he left DOGE. It also said Democrats could investigate these for any preferential treatment and also probe whether "Musk restricted Starlink satellite access in Ukraine to help Trump compel Ukraine to end the war with Russia."

Avoiding Accountability: The Daily Beast (Left) was heavily critical of the proposed pardons, and framed the plan as an effort to protect Trump's allies from potential congressional investigations and accountability. It used slant in its headline, describing Trump's associates as "goons" and the proposal as "shocking" and "sweeping." The Daily Beast also reported that Musk was a Trump "megadonor" who has "poured hundreds of millions of dollars into backing Trump and other Republican candidates" and also described him as cutting 250,000 government jobs as part of the "controversial" DOGE initiative.

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