To be fair, they all do it. Every president has used his pardon power to release friends, family, etc. Trump's corruption is blatant, but he's far from the first to abuse the pardon power.
Please name any potus that has promised to pardon seditionists that act on their behalf. If we're going to whataboutism this, at least point to equivalent examples. Otherwise you're just normalizing a dictator in waiting.
Ford famously pardoned Nixon so he couldn’t be prosecuted for his involvement in the Watergate cover up. It’s arguable that prosecution and prison time for Nixon would have set a different precedent than we have in place now.
George HW Bush pardoned a bunch of people who were involved in Iran-Contra, as well as Armand Hammer for illegal campaign contributions to Nixon-“coincidentally” after Hammer donated $110k to the RNC.
Bill Clinton pardoned his HUD secretary of lying to the FBI, pardoned his half brother Roger, his CIA chief, a partner of his in the Whitewater deal, and multiple democratic representatives who had been found guilty of bank fraud.
George W Bush pardoned Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney’s chief of staff.