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Pardon-seekers and those lobbying on their behalf have reportedly paid allies of Trump tens of thousands of dollars to press the president to grant clemency. Everything is a transaction. He likes pardons because it is unilateral. And he likes doing favors for people he thinks will owe him, one source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The list of potential pardons, however, does not currently include Trump himself.
Trump has reportedly floated the idea of issuing pardons for himself and members of his family for months, while Democrats have long threatened to pursue investigations of the president s personal finances that could potentially lead to criminal charges once he leaves office.