Rumored 250-Pardon Proposal for Nation’s 250th Birthday Spurs Clemency Applications, Including From Shkreli and Holmes

A rumored White House proposal to issue 250 pardons to mark the nation’s 250th birthday has prompted new clemency filings from Martin Shkreli and Elizabeth Holmes, even as the plan stays in preliminary stages. The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible 250-pardon initiative last month. Sources familiar with the matter told the Journal that the idea remains under early discussion.

A White House official declined to confirm whether President Donald Trump is considering such a step, stating that the White House does not comment on potential clemency requests. Martin Shkreli filed a pardon application after the Journal report surfaced.

Shkreli was convicted on securities fraud and conspiracy charges and sentenced to seven years in prison; he was released in 2022 and remains barred from serving as an officer of a publicly traded company.

On X last week he wrote, “My pardon application is in,” and added that he had refused offers from dozens of people seeking payment to facilitate the request. In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Shkreli said the rumored anniversary initiative helped prompt his filing.

“The fact that Trump seems to want to pardon 250 people by the 250th anniversary of the country, I think that’s one of the catalysts that brought me to just finally file,” he said.

He also stated he would not pay intermediaries, telling the Examiner that friends had asked him for money to help with the process. Elizabeth Holmes, serving an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors, filed her clemency request in January. ” Days after the Journal report, the account posted: “Every day, I fight.

Justice Department data show roughly 5,100 clemency petitions filed in 2024 and more than 16,000 filed in 2025. The Office of the Pardon Attorney no longer publicly reports pending petitions; the last available figures indicated more than 10,000 unresolved applications. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has granted clemency to approximately 1,500 Jan.

6 defendants on Inauguration Day, as well as to Ross Ulbricht, Changpeng Zhao, and Trevor Milton. Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, told the Washington Examiner that additional pardons would align with efforts to address what he described as government overreach. “There are a lot of people who should be pardoned,” Davis said.