Overview
- Senior White House officials have discussed a plan to grant as many as 250 presidential pardons tied to the nation’s 250th birthday, but advisers are split and the proposal has not been formally presented to President Trump as of July 1, 2026.
- The report has sparked an intense scramble by defendants, lawyers and private intermediaries seeking spots on a rumored list, with multiple sources saying some fixers have quoted fees of roughly $1 million to $2 million per case.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and a Justice Department spokesperson defended the administration’s review process and said the president remains the ultimate decision maker on clemency.
- High-profile names reported to be under consideration include Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), Pras Michel and Nicole Daedone, and the proposal follows an earlier pattern of expansive clemency by the president, including nearly 1,600 January 6-related acts.
- Legal and political risks are central to advisers’ divisions because the plan would bypass the Office of the Pardon Attorney, raise ethical and pay-for-access questions, and could prompt pushback from lawmakers and heightened scrutiny of the clemency process.