Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026

S. 5256 — the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026, introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) — would create new oversight and legal mechanisms around presidential pardons in specific circumstances. When the President pardons someone for a "covered offense" (broadly, offenses tied to investigations of the President, the President's relatives, former Presidents, political appointees, or campaign staff, plus certain false-statement, obstruction, and contempt-of-Congress offenses), the Justice Department's Inspector General would be required to investigate, and the Attorney General and President would have to turn over related case materials to the Inspector General and to congressional Judiciary (or Intelligence) Committee leaders within 30 days. The bill also amends federal bribery law to explicitly cover pardons and commutations offered or promised in exchange for something of value, and to apply bribery rules to incoming Presidents and Vice Presidents before they take office. It declares that a President cannot pardon himself or herself. Separately, it would require people who received a pardon to publicly disclose, through a new Office of Government Ethics online portal, gifts given to the President in the year before the pardon or for five years after.

The bill primarily affects the President's pardon power, DOJ and White House record-keeping obligations, and individuals who receive presidential pardons tied to the covered categories above.

It was introduced in the Senate on August 5, 2026, read twice, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, where it currently sits. It would need to be reported out of committee, pass the Senate and House, and be signed into law (or have a veto overridden) to take effect.

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