A group of Democrats are pushing to curb the president's pardoning powers by amending the US Constitution, warning the system has 'reached a breaking point' following President Donald Trump's flurry of controversial clemencies, including releasing approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants.
California Democrat Mike Levin announced on X that he is co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment 'to reform the pardon power' by banning self-pardons, barring pardons for family members, senior officials, and campaign staff, and blocking pardons 'used to protect the president's personal or financial interests'. The move comes after Trump, on the day he took office in January 2025, issued mass clemency to nearly all his supporters convicted of federal offences related to the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.
