This is a good question, and it, unfortunately, is answered by the thing everyone hates to hear from a lawyer: it depends.
Short version: civil contempt, which is intended to be coercive, is not pardonable.
re contempt
Can Trump simply wave his magic pardon wand and make the contempt go away ?
Criminal contempt is likely pardonable, but that's unprecedented and a criminal case would never get that far anyway since this DOJ would simply refuse to prosecute one.
Jan 27, 2026 12:57I think after Joe Arpaio’s pardon it’s pretty clear criminal contempt is pardonable.
