Washington, D.C
Why Trump has pardon power over DC cases
President Donald Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants and two D.C. police officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown have many people asking questions about the president’s pardon power.
A law professor who specializes in pardons explains the president’s unique power to intervene in local D.C. criminal prosecutions.
In his first hours back in office, Trump issued pardons to hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, many who were convicted of attacking police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Trump also extended his pardon power to two Metropolitan Police Department officers who had been convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown.
While the Jan. 6 defendants were charged with federal crimes, the two MPD officers were charged with local crimes.
“Article II of the Constitution gives the president of the United States the power to pardon offenses against the United States government, meaning federal offenses, but also, it turns out the president does have the pardon authority over District of Columbia offenses as well, given the novel nature of D.C.,” said Kimberly Wehle, author of “Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works — and Why.”
Because most crimes in D.C. are prosecuted by the U.S. attorney, Wehle explains, the president has power in D.C. he doesn’t have elsewhere, whether the cases are brought in federal court or D.C. Superior Court.
“Given the unique nature of the District of Columbia, but there’s no other part of the country where he would be able to pardon a state crime,” Wehle said.
While reporters have asked the president about the reasons for the pardons, Wehle says the public rarely gets specific details.
“So not only is there no limits or oversight on the president’s ability to pardon, but there’s like a confidentiality lock on the information that the president has exclusive discretion whether to disclose it to the public,” she said.
As for how someone gets a pardon, and how they qualify: “There’s an application online on the Department of Justice website,” Wehle said. “And there are criteria, including that you have to have served your sentence and waited five years to be eligible, which of course is not what happened with the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. In addition, there’s a number of criteria. Two that are prominent are, you have to demonstrate remorse and accountability for the crime, and you can’t be violent. Those are generally disqualifying by the office of the pardon attorney in the Justice Department. But, of course, the president is not bound by those recommendations.”
About 10,000 people will apply for pardons during a president’s term, she said.
Once someone receives a pardon, rights such as the ability to buy a gun and to vote are restored. A person can refuse a pardon, as we have seen with one of the Jan. 6 defendants, she said.
It’s not just Trump who’s made headlines for issuing pardons. Former President Joe Biden has received backlash for pardoning his son Hunter in connection with his felony gun and tax convictions — a decision Biden made after previously stating he would not. Then, during his final hours in office, Biden also pardoned several people including Dr. Anthony Fauci, members of the Jan. 6 committee and members of the Biden family.
Washington, D.C
2 dead after separate fires strike Washington, DC
Two people were killed in separate apartment fires over the course of 24 hours in the nation’s capital this weekend.
D.C. Fire and EMS responded to 13th Street NW near Park Road NW just before 10 p.m. on Friday night following reports of a blaze on the second floor of a three-story apartment. First responders found a man with life-threatening injuries and rushed him to the hospital, but he died Saturday morning.
Firefighters then responded to another blaze at a separate three-story apartment on Newton Street near 18th Street NW. Responders found a woman with lifethreatening injuries on the first floor, and she too died of her injuries in the hospital later Saturday.
Authorities have not released any information about the identities of the two victims. Authorities say the blaze at the woman’s apartment has rendered the whole building unlivable, displacing five people, according to WTOP.
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Investigators have yet to determine the cause of either fire, the outlet reported.
The blazes came after a week of heavy police presence in Washington, D.C., thanks to the inauguration ceremony for President Donald Trump.
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Thousands of officers and agents from the Department of Homeland Security, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and the National Guard swarmed Capitol Hill and elsewhere in the city throughout the week.
The National Guard said it deployed some 7,800 troops to the inauguration.
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Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said city police officers were joined by nearly 4,000 officers from across the country who volunteered to provide support on Inauguration Day.
Washington, D.C
2 killed in 2 separate Northwest DC fires
A man and a woman were killed in two separate fires overnight in Northwest D.C.
News4 spoke with, Kimberly Permodo, who narrowly escaped the flames and is the daughter of one of the victims.
“It is just really traumatizing what I have experienced,” Perdomo said.
Around 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning, Perdomo woke up to flames in the apartment she shared with her mother on Newton Street NW.
“My first instinct was to look for her and I couldn’t find her,” Perdomo said.
Perdomo identified her mother to News4 as Arely Andrade and shared a photo of them from when she was younger.
Perdomo believes the fire began in the kitchen. She was able to escape, but her mother did not.
She says her mother battled health issues.
“My mom was a really hard-working woman who was suffering from cancer and she had been fighting for it a long time,” Perdomo said.
Before putting out the flames here on Newton Street NW, firefighters responded to another fire just hours before and only a few hours away on 13th Street NW.
“The whole block was blocked off and you could see everybody evacuating from the building,” said Lily McCann, who lives nearby.
A fire broke out at a second-floor apartment around 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, killing a man.
Video from a neighbor shows the scene.
Firefighters say it was difficult to battle the flames because there was a lot of clutter in the home. However, neighbors felt the response was fast.
“From what we saw seemed really quick,” McCann said. “The firemen and women that were all reacting to the fire seemed very equipped.”
Back on Newton Street, crews boarded up the building.
Firefighters say the damage was so significant it’s not safe for people to live there anymore. Five people have been displaced.
Perdomo wishes she could’ve stopped the fire from happening.
“It’s just really heartbreaking because it was just me and her living in the apartment,” Perdomo said. “I wish I could have woken up earlier, probably saved her.”
Firefighters believe both fires were accidental, but are still investigating what caused them.
DC Fire and EMS has not released the name of the man who died in the fire on 13th Street yet.
Washington, D.C
Bowling Green “presidential enthusiast” travels to D.C.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Camdon Honshell, a 10-year-old from Bowling Green, attended the presidential inauguration last Monday in Washington, D.C.
He traveled with his father, brother, and uncle to experience the event for the first time.
Camdon is an avid drawer of presidential headshots and even sent one to former President Joe Biden. Biden responded with a personal letter and a signed portrait that showed up at his front door in 2023.
Camdon can also name all U.S. presidents in order from number one to number 47, and even tell you what each president was known for.
Copyright 2025 WBKO. All rights reserved.
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