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Presidents aren't immune to the law. But it's theoretically possible that she would be convicted and impeached, and then pardoned by Vice President Bill Clinton

by mc808 11y ago

Presidents aren't immune to the law. But it's theoretically possible that she would be convicted and impeached, and then pardoned by Vice President Bill Clinton after he takes office.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
woodruffw 11y ago
> Vice President Bill Clinton I don't think that the First Husband would have clemency powers ;)
- spdustin 11y ago
  If Hillary Clinton becomes the president, Bill would be colloquially referred to as the "First Gentleman", per tradition. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady
tptacek 11y ago
This whole thread is a case study for why we just shouldn't host discussions like this on HN. There are a million better places to do it than here. Clinton is probably not legally eligible to be Vice President --- a position that, were he to occupy it, would give him no authority over any prosecution (except possibly an impeachment trial --- over which he would preside, but not control). Clinton is definitely not eligible to serve as President, even if he is the Vice President at the time his President is impeached. The next in succession after VP would be sworn in as President.
- hackuser 11y ago
  > There are a million better places to do it than here. Where is there informed, intelligent, valuable discussion of politics? I'd love to find it.
  - messick 11y ago
    MetaFilter isn't bad. Although it's a lot more than just politics.
  - zachwooddoughty 11y ago
    Plug: I'm launching Discoverboard.com for this in a couple weeks
    - hackuser 11y ago
      Great! How will you improve the quality over other boards?
      - zachwooddoughty 11y ago
        You'll have to verify your phone number to sign up, which will make moderation more effective (hard to make an additional account after getting kicked out). If it grows and that isn't enough to keep it respectful, I will add a $1-2 signup fee for new users. I'm also going to be spending most of my time recruiting quality people to join the discussions.
        hackuser 11y ago
        Feedback from one potential user: I won't sign up if I can't do it anonymously. 1) I don't like being tracked, 2) the bad behavior of others who track users has made me resent the practice, and 3) people need to be able to express political opinions without thinking they will be tied to their phone numbers. It threatens the civil rights of unpopular minorities, and I've come across several studies which conclude that people self-censor in those situations. But how to promote quality? One thing I would like to see is a forum that cracks down on thoughtless posts, especially hyperbole ad rants. It's not only a waste of time but that kind of behavior spreads like a virus.
        zachwooddoughty 11y ago
        While I empathize, anonymity makes moderation very hard. Most people I've talked to prefer the tradeoff of reduced anonymity for improved moderation. If you email me at zach@discoverboard.com I can set you up with a pre-verified account that you can use anonymously. Quality is hard. I don't think there's any silver bullet, but you can check out the community guidelines at discoverboard.com/about which hope to curtail the thoughtlessness you're talking about.
- mc808 11y ago
  It's not very nice to shoo someone away from discussion and then continue the discussion yourself. > Clinton is definitely not eligible to serve as President This has never been established. The 22nd Amendment prevents him from being elected President.
  - tptacek 11y ago
    https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 Subsections (a), (b), and (d) [every succession category] of this section shall apply only to such officers as are eligible to the office of President under the Constitution.
    - mc808 11y ago
      That all applies when there is no Vice President to act as President. None of it applies to the scenario here, which is wholly covered by the 25th Amendment. "In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President." No caveats.
    - Redoubts 11y ago
      Eh, that they said "elected" and not "eligible" in the 22nd amendment makes me think there is plenty of room for lawyering on this point.
      - dogma1138 11y ago
        This is Putin becoming a prime minister for a couple of years to fix the constitution type of politics.
      - mariodiana 11y ago
        Please see the Twelfth Amendment, particularly the last sentence.
        Redoubts 11y ago
r00fus 11y ago
I'm pretty sure Bill can't run for VP. And the 3rd in line after VP is Speaker of the House (Paul Ryan, IIRC).
- mariodiana 11y ago
  The Twelfth Amendment ends with the following sentence: "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States." It would seem the Constitution agrees with you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_Unite...
  - talmand 11y ago
    So then, they get Ryan to be VP and install Bill as Speaker. Then they get Ryan to resign. Worth at least two seasons on Netflix.

by mc808 11y ago

Presidents aren't immune to the law. But it's theoretically possible that she would be convicted and impeached, and then pardoned by Vice President Bill Clinton after he takes office.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

woodruffw 11y ago

> Vice President Bill Clinton I don't think that the First Husband would have clemency powers ;)

spdustin 11y ago
If Hillary Clinton becomes the president, Bill would be colloquially referred to as the "First Gentleman", per tradition. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Lady

tptacek 11y ago

This whole thread is a case study for why we just shouldn't host discussions like this on HN. There are a million better places to do it than here. Clinton is probably not legally eligible to be Vice President --- a position that, were he to occupy it, would give him no authority over any prosecution (except possibly an impeachment trial --- over which he would preside, but not control). Clinton is definitely not eligible to serve as President, even if he is the Vice President at the time his President is impeached. The next in succession after VP would be sworn in as President.

hackuser 11y ago
> There are a million better places to do it than here. Where is there informed, intelligent, valuable discussion of politics? I'd love to find it.
- messick 11y ago
  MetaFilter isn't bad. Although it's a lot more than just politics.
- zachwooddoughty 11y ago
  Plug: I'm launching Discoverboard.com for this in a couple weeks
  - hackuser 11y ago
    Great! How will you improve the quality over other boards?
    - zachwooddoughty 11y ago
      You'll have to verify your phone number to sign up, which will make moderation more effective (hard to make an additional account after getting kicked out). If it grows and that isn't enough to keep it respectful, I will add a $1-2 signup fee for new users. I'm also going to be spending most of my time recruiting quality people to join the discussions.
      - hackuser 11y ago
        Feedback from one potential user: I won't sign up if I can't do it anonymously. 1) I don't like being tracked, 2) the bad behavior of others who track users has made me resent the practice, and 3) people need to be able to express political opinions without thinking they will be tied to their phone numbers. It threatens the civil rights of unpopular minorities, and I've come across several studies which conclude that people self-censor in those situations. But how to promote quality? One thing I would like to see is a forum that cracks down on thoughtless posts, especially hyperbole ad rants. It's not only a waste of time but that kind of behavior spreads like a virus.
        zachwooddoughty 11y ago
        While I empathize, anonymity makes moderation very hard. Most people I've talked to prefer the tradeoff of reduced anonymity for improved moderation. If you email me at zach@discoverboard.com I can set you up with a pre-verified account that you can use anonymously. Quality is hard. I don't think there's any silver bullet, but you can check out the community guidelines at discoverboard.com/about which hope to curtail the thoughtlessness you're talking about.
mc808 11y ago
It's not very nice to shoo someone away from discussion and then continue the discussion yourself. > Clinton is definitely not eligible to serve as President This has never been established. The 22nd Amendment prevents him from being elected President.
- tptacek 11y ago
  https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 Subsections (a), (b), and (d) [every succession category] of this section shall apply only to such officers as are eligible to the office of President under the Constitution.
  - mc808 11y ago
    That all applies when there is no Vice President to act as President. None of it applies to the scenario here, which is wholly covered by the 25th Amendment. "In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President." No caveats.
  - Redoubts 11y ago
    Eh, that they said "elected" and not "eligible" in the 22nd amendment makes me think there is plenty of room for lawyering on this point.
    - dogma1138 11y ago
      This is Putin becoming a prime minister for a couple of years to fix the constitution type of politics.
    - mariodiana 11y ago
      Please see the Twelfth Amendment, particularly the last sentence.
      - Redoubts 11y ago

r00fus 11y ago

I'm pretty sure Bill can't run for VP. And the 3rd in line after VP is Speaker of the House (Paul Ryan, IIRC).

mariodiana 11y ago
The Twelfth Amendment ends with the following sentence: "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States." It would seem the Constitution agrees with you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_Unite...
- talmand 11y ago
  So then, they get Ryan to be VP and install Bill as Speaker. Then they get Ryan to resign. Worth at least two seasons on Netflix.