Senate Democrats introduce bill to crack down on presidential pardon abuse
Senate Democrats are introducing legislation aimed at restricting what they describe as abuses of presidential pardon power, targeting practices they say have become increasingly common under President Donald Trump.
The proposed Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act would establish new disclosure requirements for people receiving presidential pardons and require them to report gifts, donations, or other financial contributions made to the president before or after receiving clemency. The legislation would also cover contributions to entities involved in construction or renovations at the White House, a provision that appears connected to private funding for the administration’s planned ballroom.
The bill would further address pardons involving investigations into a president, members of the president’s family or political appointees. In such cases, the Justice Department and White House would be required to disclose records related to the offense covered by the pardon.
The legislation would also amend federal bribery law to explicitly address the misuse of presidential pardons and would prohibit presidents from granting pardons to themselves.
The Democratic senators behind the measure say the changes are intended to prevent presidents from using clemency to interfere with investigations, reward political allies or benefit financially connected individuals.
The proposal comes after Trump has issued a series of high-profile pardons and commutations during his second term. In 2025, he granted sweeping clemency to people charged or convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also issued pardons to people connected to efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Trump has also granted clemency to other prominent figures, including former U.S. Rep. George Santos, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and reality television personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley.
Democrats have also pointed to clemency granted to individuals who made substantial political contributions. Among them is Trevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle company Nikola, who was convicted of fraud in 2022 and later received a pardon after contributing millions of dollars to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, one of the bill’s sponsors, accused Trump of using presidential power for personal and political benefit and said the legislation would increase transparency surrounding clemency decisions. Sen. Adam Schiff of California said the proposal would provide Congress with a stronger mechanism for deterring abuses, while Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut argued that allowing criminals to escape punishment through political connections undermines the justice system.
The bill had not yet been assigned to a Senate committee as of Wednesday. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, leaving the measure's prospects uncertain.
The proposal comes as Trump’s use of presidential clemency continues to draw scrutiny. In addition to roughly 1,500 pardons issued to Jan. 6 defendants, the administration has granted dozens of additional pardons involving people connected to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
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