Trump: “Preemptive pardons for Musk and other allies if Democrats win”

[Financial News]  

U.S. President Donald Trump said he might preemptively pardon Tesla CEO Elon Musk and some of his own allies. The idea would be to shield them from such investigations if Democrats win the midterm elections on the 3rd (local time), take control of Congress and launch several investigations.
According to Forbes on the 2nd, President Trump said this on podcast host Miranda Devine’s “Pod Force One,” saying, “We have to protect them.”
Trump said he thinks the Democrats’ threats of investigations are “just talk,” but said he would preemptively pardon Musk and some of his allies “if necessary.” He added that it was “something he wouldn’t even have considered before.”
Trump also did not rule out the possibility of preemptively pardoning Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old who worked at DOGE and is widely known online by the pseudonym “Big Balls,” when Devine asked whether Democrats might investigate him.
Trump also cited former President Joe Biden as an example. He recalled, “This is what Biden did,” adding, “He pardoned everyone.” Biden had pardoned members of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, occupation of the Capitol. The occupiers, who were Trump supporters, carried out the attack, claiming the 2020 presidential election had been rigged. Four of the Capitol rioters died, and one police officer who took part in the crackdown also died. Four officers involved in suppressing the riot later died by suicide due to trauma and other factors. Biden preemptively pardoned the committee members before leaving office, fearing Trump would retaliate against those who had conducted the investigation.
But things are different now. As the Iran war on Feb. 28 drove up gas prices and public sentiment turned against Trump, the likelihood that Democrats would take control of both chambers in the midterm elections increased, and Trump became busy. That is because Democrats are threatening to investigate the turmoil since Trump began his second term.
Musk, one of the main figures Democrats have in their sights, warned that he would fight back if they investigated him. Musk donated a huge sum to Trump in the last presidential election and, early last year, headed the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), carrying out a restructuring of the government. Some Democratic lawmakers have said they could investigate potential conflicts of interest, alleging that Musk’s companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, expanded their businesses by leveraging his close ties with the Trump administration.
According to an analysis released on the 30th of last month by the nonpartisan Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF), Musk’s companies have secured $10 billion (about 13 trillion won) in government contracts since he left DOGE.
Under Trump’s second administration, SpaceX won a $5.9 billion project to build the “Space Launch Architecture” for the U.S. Space Force, as well as a $2.29 billion Defense Department contract for a “Space Data Network.”
Democrats have also signaled they may investigate whether Musk restricted Starlink satellite communications to help President Trump, who is trying to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, Trump made remarks on the podcast that seemed to rule out the possibility of seeking a third term. Referring to the Constitution, he said the provision barring a third term is “very strict,” effectively acknowledging that running for a third term is virtually impossible.

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