To Stop Elissa Slotkin’s Revenge, President Trump Should Pardon All His Staffers

Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan has drawn bipartisan criticism for remarks suggesting that the threat of future prosecutions could discourage young conservatives from working in government. Daily Wire commentary argues that President Donald Trump should respond by pardoning every Schedule C political appointee in his administration before he leaves office.

The controversy began with a University of Chicago appearance, which the Chicago Thinker documented. Slotkin said she wanted young Republicans to conclude that political involvement might bring a "ton of problems." The event's moderator, the editorial director of Vox, described the possible consequences as being a pariah politically, socially, and perhaps legally. Several Senate colleagues condemned the idea. Slotkin did not retreat. In a post dated October 19, 2026, she said Trump had turned federal power against his critics, pointed to her own experience of being investigated and nearly indicted, and maintained that anyone who broke the law at the president's direction should face accountability, since Supreme Court immunity covers the president alone.

The Daily Wire writer calls her approach unprecedented and says it treats junior appointees as targets regardless of guilt.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Daily Wire’s reporting. Read the full story at Daily Wire →