President Trump unveiled one of his top legislative priorities before Democrats take over the House of Representatives: passage of the First Step Act, which would reduce some prison sentences. Though he still must win a tug-of-war within the Republican Party to get that bill through, he has a Plan B — and he doesn’t need Congress for it.

That would be the creation of a White House clemency commission to supplement or replace the Justice Department’s opaque Office of the Pardon Attorney, which critics say is inherently biased in favor of prosecutors.