President Donald Trump has reportedly promised that he will pardon his staff before leaving office, echoing the actions of President Joe Biden, who signed sweeping pardons for members of his family and key administration officials before his term ended.

The Wall Street Journal reported on an instance in which Trump promised to pardon "everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval", noting that he had previously limited such a promise to anyone who came within 10 feet of the presidential office.

“The Wall Street Journal should learn to take a joke, however, the President’s pardon power is absolute,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, suggesting Trump had made no firm promises on the matter.

Trump issued sweeping pardons to myriad Jan. 6 defendants at the start of his term and has since attracted scrutiny for a number of high-profile pardons, notably Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani. He also pardoned a number of close allies who faced prosecution over their efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.