S 5256 United States Senate · 119th Congress

Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026

The Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026 prohibits the President from granting a pardon to themselves and requires the Department of Justice Inspector General to investigate specific pardons involving the President, their relatives, political appointees, or campaign staff. The bill mandates that the Attorney General and the President submit all relevant case files and internal documents to Congress and the Inspector General within 30 days of issuing such a pardon. Additionally, it amends federal bribery laws to explicitly cover offers of pardons and extends these protections to apparent presidential candidates before they take office. Finally, individuals who receive these specific types of pardons must file financial disclosure reports with the Office of Government Ethics regarding any gifts given to the President within one year prior to or five years following the pardon.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Aug 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Aug 5, 2026 Last action Aug 5, 2026
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Committee
1
Aug 5, 2026
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
upper
Aug 5, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

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