One thing that has become clear over the course of the Trump Administration is that President Donald Trump's unpredictable nature has done a lot to separate the governmental checks and balances that are actually codified in law from conventions that the president is simply supposed to adhere to.
And while a whole book could be written about how many institutions have had their power imbalances laid bare by what Trump has been allowed to do, nowhere is that more clear than in his capacity to issue presidential pardons.
Although we may have once assumed that there are some limits as to when, how, and to whom the president can issue a pardon, Trump has shown precisely how broad his pardoning power truly is.
And based on a list of pardons that's expected to surface on January 19, it seems he's planning on flexing that power just as hard on the final day of his presidency.