White House: Expect more pardons from Bush.

Thinkprogress:

In today’s White House press briefing, a reporter noted to spokesman Tony Fratto that the “administration has indicated that the president is unlikely, at the last minute, to issue a batch of pardons.” Fratto, however, quickly took issue with that statement, saying, “I don’t think we’ve indicated that.” He then hinted that there will be more pardons coming soon:

FRATTO: We do expect additional — additional clemency requests. The president has been considering them. And, hopefully, soon we’ll have something for you on that.

I can’t tell you that — when exactly the next one will come — the next batch will come and whether there will be more after that. I think the president has maintained his authority to do that until — until his last day as president, so we’re not going to — I don’t think we’ll take that away from him. But I think we should have something soon on clemency petitions.

President-elect Obama’s team has announced that on Jan. 20, Obama “will take the oath of office using the same Bible upon which President Lincoln was sworn in at his first inauguration.” He “will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861.”