JUDY WOODRUFF: While Congress looked ahead today toward governing under a President Biden,
talk of pardons was a prominent part of this final day for the Trump administration.
Our Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins join me now.
So, hello to both of you.
And to you first, Yamiche.
We know, traditionally, presidents go out of office with a lot of conversation about
pardons and commutation, and there's been speculation about what President Trump may
do. What are you learning about that?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, Washington and really the nation sits on edge waiting to see what
is expected to be a long list of people pardoned by President Trump.
Now, I have been talking to White House officials all day. They tell me that they do not believe
President Trump is going to pardon himself or members of his family, but he is looking
at an array of people, including Steve Bannon, who was, of course, a former top White House
official and someone who helped Trump win in 2016, as well as Sheldon Silver, a disgraced
New York assemblyman, and even rapper Lil Wayne, who was convicted of a gun charge.
Another thing to note is that the president, experts say, has really broken with tradition
when it comes to pardons. He has not gone through the traditional process of going through
the Department of Justice to vet pardons often.
They also say that he's been a president, more than other presidents, who's leaned in
on pardoning people who are close to him or who serve some sort of political messaging.
So, he's pardoned Border Patrol agents who were convicted of unjustifiably shooting undocumented
immigrants. He's also pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, his son-in-law.
Another thing, the president could also issue pardons that aren't revealed. Experts call
them in some ways secret pardons. These pardons, because the Constitution says that you don't
have to -- the president doesn't have to reveal who he's pardoned, there's some feeling, some
worry that the president could pardon himself, and we wouldn't know.
Legal experts aren't sure whether or not the Biden administration would be able to see
if that pardon was actually issued. Now, there is no indication that the president is going
to issue some sort of pardons like that, but it is something to watch as we await this
pardons list.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Yamiche, we know the president is not going to be attending the inauguration
of president-elect Joe Biden tomorrow, but he is planning his own celebration as he leaves
office.
Tell us about that.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right.
President Trump is leaving office much like he started office, and that's steeped in controversy
and breaking traditions. Here, the president is going to be the first president since 1869
not to go to his successor's swearing-in. The last president to do so was Andrew Johnson,
who skipped Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration.
Now, the president has said that he's going to have his sort of own departure party at
Joint Base Andrews. There is talk of there possibly being a 21-gun salute, a color guard,
a red carpet, all sorts of pomp and circumstance.
One person that won't be there, even though there are a lot of people invited, including
people who have criticized the president, Vice President Pence. His office confirmed
tonight that he is going to the inauguration of president-elect Biden and not going to
President Trump's party.
That is, in some ways, a window into the last days here of the Trump presidency, where Pence
has had to do things, like talk about the coronavirus and visit troops, while President
Trump has not taken questions or been seen in public in days.
One other thing. Trump leaves office, President Trump leaves office with his legacy really,
really tarnished. The president, in the last few days, he has not apologized or said anything
about the Capitol Hill scene. So, there are a lot of people who are also angry at the
president leaving the office like this.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And finally, to you, Lisa, we know the Senate tomorrow is going to change
hands, as we're reporting. The Democrats will be in the majority.
They have got a lot on their plate. One of the big items, of course, right away is impeachment.
What do we know about how that's going to work?
LISA DESJARDINS: Well, there are many decisions to be made, first whether impeachment will
happen simultaneously with, before or after confirmation of many of the Biden appointees.
There's a chance that some Cabinet officials could be appoint -- could be confirmed as
soon as tomorrow in the Senate. But that would take unanimous consent. And we don't expect
that.
Judy, tonight, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic Party in the Senate, Chuck
Schumer and Mitch McConnell, have been meeting to try to figure out a power-sharing deal,
because, tomorrow, starting then, the Senate will be 50/50, with the Democrats in charge
only because of vice president-elect Harris once she's inaugurated.
So, the truth is, Judy, a lot of this still has to be worked out.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Fascinating. A lot of change going on at the same -- all at the same time.
Lisa Desjardins, Yamiche Alcindor, thank you both.