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Trump can wait until the last day in office then issue pardons for any possible crimes, right? Biden did something similar I believe

magicalist 1y ago
> Trump can wait until the last day in office then issue pardons for any possible crimes, right? Is your mental model of the pardon process actually confused? Yes, the president can unilaterally issue pardons, and Donald Trump is president until the end of his term, so he can issue pardons on his last day in office.
- pests 1y ago
  Is the hostility really required? The comment was about last-day pardons, not pardons in general. Its a topic many presidents have gotten flak or attention for.
  - magicalist 1y ago
    What hostility? I was asking if they were really confused or if they were asking rhetorically. If they were actually confused, the answer is yes. edit: oh, I guess "and Donald Trump is president until the end of his term" could come off as patronizing. I meant it just as a statement in a chain of reasoning
    - satanfirst 1y ago
      Recent untested precedent exists of blanket pardons needed for unqualified crimes and they are so far likely to be challenged on a different technicality (first?).. Asking what people think is not confused unless you are being uncharitable or know a lot of actual precedents that we all should know from another era.
      - geraldwhen 1y ago
        I am fully unaware of any challenges to recent pardons. I don’t follow politics much and just knew about the blanket pardon that I assume all presidents will use going forward unless it’s challenged in court.
Aloisius 1y ago
Can't pardon state crimes nor cases of impeachment. Arguably, if you impeach someone in public office, even if they aren't convicted by the Senate, any pardon of those same acts becomes moot and they can be tried in court for the same offenses. At least, that's what the DoJ suggested in 2000.
- 9283409232 1y ago
  This Congress won't impeach Trump. If they were willing to, they would've already.
  - Aloisius 1y ago
    This Congress probably won't, but the next one might.
    - 9283409232 1y ago
      Most of the seats up for reelection in 2026 are Dem seats. North Carolina is the only one I can realistically see Dems flipping.
      - Aloisius 1y ago
        The entire House is up for reelection. They are who impeach. The Senate is who convicts.
        9283409232 1y ago
        Without a conviction, impeachment is just performative at this point.
    - jmcgough 1y ago
      They could impeach again, but senate will refuse to convict. If Jan 6 didn't motivate them to stop this, nothing will.

magicalist 1y ago

> Trump can wait until the last day in office then issue pardons for any possible crimes, right? Is your mental model of the pardon process actually confused? Yes, the president can unilaterally issue pardons, and Donald Trump is president until the end of his term, so he can issue pardons on his last day in office.

pests 1y ago
Is the hostility really required? The comment was about last-day pardons, not pardons in general. Its a topic many presidents have gotten flak or attention for.
- magicalist 1y ago
  What hostility? I was asking if they were really confused or if they were asking rhetorically. If they were actually confused, the answer is yes. edit: oh, I guess "and Donald Trump is president until the end of his term" could come off as patronizing. I meant it just as a statement in a chain of reasoning
  - satanfirst 1y ago
    Recent untested precedent exists of blanket pardons needed for unqualified crimes and they are so far likely to be challenged on a different technicality (first?).. Asking what people think is not confused unless you are being uncharitable or know a lot of actual precedents that we all should know from another era.
    - geraldwhen 1y ago
      I am fully unaware of any challenges to recent pardons. I don’t follow politics much and just knew about the blanket pardon that I assume all presidents will use going forward unless it’s challenged in court.

Aloisius 1y ago

Can't pardon state crimes nor cases of impeachment. Arguably, if you impeach someone in public office, even if they aren't convicted by the Senate, any pardon of those same acts becomes moot and they can be tried in court for the same offenses. At least, that's what the DoJ suggested in 2000.

9283409232 1y ago
This Congress won't impeach Trump. If they were willing to, they would've already.
- Aloisius 1y ago
  This Congress probably won't, but the next one might.
  - 9283409232 1y ago
    Most of the seats up for reelection in 2026 are Dem seats. North Carolina is the only one I can realistically see Dems flipping.
    - Aloisius 1y ago
      The entire House is up for reelection. They are who impeach. The Senate is who convicts.
      - 9283409232 1y ago
        Without a conviction, impeachment is just performative at this point.
  - jmcgough 1y ago
    They could impeach again, but senate will refuse to convict. If Jan 6 didn't motivate them to stop this, nothing will.