Trump weighs pardons for Musk, allies as Democrats plan post-midterm investigations
WASHINGTON, DC: With Democrats seen as having a strong chance of making gains in the midterm elections, both President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders are preparing for what could follow the results.
President Trump is contemplating preemptive pardons for his staffers and others around him if Democrats move to investigate them after a midterm victory. Apparently, this is also what Democratic leaders are reportedly discussing as they prepare their post-election strategy.
Trump to protect Musk, allies from Democratic investigations
President Donald Trump on Monday, Nov 2, said that he will protect businessman Elon Musk if Democrats move to investigate the SpaceX and Tesla CEO after a possible midterm election victory.
In an interview for the 'Pod Force One' podcast published Monday, Trump added that he is also weighing preemptive pardons for his close aides and others around him should Democrats pursue investigations.
Trump had previously floated the possibility of pardoning staffers to prevent them from facing scrutiny over work carried out during the first two years of his second term.
The president was asked by “Pod Force One” host Miranda Devine about reports that Musk could be investigated and have his assets seized.
“It’s talk. But if it is talk, we’ll have to protect them,” Trump said on the podcast, reported Axios.
Trump made it clear that he will consider pardons for people beyond Musk if Democrats pursue investigations.
“I would if I needed to. Sure,” Trump told the podcast.
Notably, Musk has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to support Republicans in this year's midterm elections.
According to a federal filing obtained by Bloomberg, Musk has injected $77 million into his America PAC in the first half of October alone.
That brings his total political donations during this election cycle to over $445 million.
Democrats contemplate how to curtail Trump after the midterms
Democrats are preparing to use control of Congress to put more pressure on President Donald Trump after the elections.
Democratic lawmakers and strategists are discussing congressional investigations into Trump and his allies over alleged abuses of power and corruption. However, they do not agree on whether to pursue a third impeachment.
Senior Democrats in the House and Senate are largely against another impeachment, arguing that it would have little chance of securing the 67 votes needed for a conviction in the Senate.
Instead, Democrats are expected to focus on investigations and decide which actions by Trump and his allies should be their priority.
