In his waning days in the Oval Office, President Trump has floated the idea of pardoning a slew of family members and associates — as he has already pardoned the indicted ex-national security adviser Michael T. Flynn. For more than two years, he has also dallied with the prospect of a self-pardon, tweeting about his “absolute right” to make such a move and retweeting supporters urging him to do it.

Many are outraged by this potential “pardonpalooza” — to them, an obvious affront to the rule of law. But though it may be reckless, a freewheeling exercise of the pardon power by Trump nevertheless might have unexpected upsides. Paradoxically, it might give a boost to more effective forms of accountability than the criminal process, namely by empowering congressional investigations in which people with pardons couldn’t decline to testify. Such investigations then could lead to reforms to prevent future abuses by presidents and their associates.

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