No, that’s not the Chattanooga Choo Choo. If anything, it is a train wreck heading for a cliff …
A federal pardon in the United States is the action of the President of the United States that completely sets aside the punishment for a federal crime. The authority to take such action is granted to the president by Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
Aside of past misuse and potential future misuse of presidential power to pardon someone, shouldn’t it be obvious that a pardon must address specific crimes an object of pardon has committed and been charged with, – instead of a blanket forgiveness of everything and anything, known or not? And, for President Trump to pardon himself? What an insane idea! That would mean that a US president could do absolutely anything he wanted, like killing his opposition or anyone threatening him or opposing what he wants to do, – then getting away with it all by pardoning himself? What nonsense! That means we would have the worst dictatorship imaginable!
And for Trump to resign in the 11th hour and have Pence pardon him, without having been charged with any crime? That’s not only complete madness, – it is clearly contrary to the constitutional text that specifies setting “aside the punishment for a federal crime”. That means that the federal crime must be identified, and punishment established, – before a pardon can be given, – but certainly not by the President himself!
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Hello, Jorg
Your concerns are valid. While I cannot speak for anyone who has in the past or who might grant a presidential pardon in the future, perhaps calls for impeachment by some on the left side of the political aisle beginning on Jan. 20, 2017, with no specific crime cited… or 3+ years of calls for an investigation that followed DNC operatives planting false information (based on Mueller report conclusions)… perhaps, just maybe, those issues are part of closed door Oval Office discussions. Maybe.
So, the “any and all crimes” portion of presidential pardons worry you. That’s a valid concern. What do you suggest we should do about such language in pardons?
What about: Pardons are only meant to avoid “the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense or crime committed by someone else, not yourself” ?