Establishment Dems: Well, OK. Just this once.
Can a U.S. president premptively pardon themself?
Submitted 1 day ago by Endmaker@ani.social to [deleted]
Comments
radix@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It’s an unanswered question, but the SCOTUS immunity ruling makes it mostly moot anyway. A President can’t be charged with crimes related to “official business.” Which specific acts count as official vs unofficial depends on the interpretation of a judge/justice, and probably gets extremely messy and inconsistent, which is why the ruling is considered problematic by most.
They can NOT pardon to protect themselves from impeachment.
warbond@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I would like to see this immunity tested thoroughly very soon
dan1101@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Hopefully it can be established that granting favors and adding to their personal wealth are not official business. Really is any criminal act official business, I think not.
radix@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Not going to make a top level comment since this may be considered sort of a tangent, but there is chatter about lots of White House staff asking for pardons, since they aren’t necessarily immune. The thing is, once someone gets a pardon, and they no longer face prosecution, there is no danger of self-incrimination, and the 5th Amendment right to not speak largely disappears. I.e. they could be compelled to testify against Trump.
So does Trump throw all these people under the bus by making them face criminal prosecution for his crimes, or does he make them immune and increase the risk (even if only reputational) to himself? Investigators could easily offer immunity in exchange for testimony even without a pardon. I think we know which he’ll choose, but it leaves both sides pitted against one another.
The snake may be about to eat itself.
HubertManne@piefed.social 19 hours ago
100% sure they can try and one will.
_stranger_@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I have a feeling this one’s gonna try
ContactClosure@lemmus.org 16 hours ago
You see, that’s the fun part about spending years ignoring the courts. Others can do the same! We could send him to CECOT. No due process? No problem!
someguy3@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Hasn’t been tested but apparently most constitutional lawyers say yes.
TipRing@lemmy.world 1 day ago
We don’t know. Nobody has ever tried it before. Common law would suggest no, but really it’s anyone’s guess with the current make up of the supreme court.
DagwoodIII@piefed.social 1 day ago
Don could pardon JD for all crimes on their last day in office. Then Trump resigns and JD becomes President and pardons Don.
Obviouslywrong@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
For trump its more like how fast can they pardon themselves before they commit another felony, you can’t pardon yourself for the future.
undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 1 day ago
God damn it whenever I see a question like this it immediately is thought up by the GOP too
yakko@feddit.uk 1 day ago
They can certainly try
disregardable@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
I think it’d go 7-2 no. The midrange Republicans aren’t going to go for something so obviously unfounded in history that would just lead to lawlessness.
Zachariah@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Not from a next presdient’s executive order.
BooBees@fedinsfw.app 1 day ago
Yes, but only for federal crimes, not state charges. It’s kind of a moot act for official acts, because the Supreme Court already stated presidents are immune to prosecution for official acts, so they’d have to pardon themselves for personal criminal acts. Most of those can be charged by a state or on a local level, non federal, so it would be risky. However, practically the US doesn’t have a great appetite for charging and prosecuting Presidents.
Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 21 hours ago
That bud needed to be nipped at Nixon.
CapuccinoCoretto@lemmy.world 1 day ago
To be an American President, is to be a criminal. Every last one of them.
Necrifyre@piefed.blahaj.zone 13 hours ago
William Henry Harrison
lIlIlIlIlIlIl@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Every human is a criminal. Every baby, a criminal. Even plants? You guessed it. Criminals.
Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 21 hours ago
I could use some schooling this morning. What was Carter’s crime?
kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
What did John Quincy Adams do? I thought he was cool :(