Ex-prosecutors and legal scholars say US president ‘meting out pardons for blatantly corrupt and self-serving ends’
Donald Trump’s unprecedented pardoning spree for political and business friends since returning to the White House has prompted warnings from ex-prosecutors and legal scholars of “corrupt” pay-to-play schemes, conflicts of interest and blatant partisanship.
It has included hundreds of Maga allies, a cryptocurrency mogul with ties to a Trump family crypto firm, disgraced politicians, and others who could yield political and financial benefits.
Trump’s political and business driven pardons spurred strong rebukes from his first day in office, when he pardoned or commuted sentences for some 1,500 Maga allies who attacked the Capitol on January 6 and tried to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election.
I never understood this “the president can pardon anyone” thing.
A judge and jury found you guilty of a crime, they sentenced you to jail, WTF can a president just overrule that because he wants to?
It’s insane, but it’s America, insanity is normal there
Well, as just one example let’s say a judge and jury can find someone guilty of a crime and be racist or bias about it. A President can have the power to then overturn that if, say, overall public discourse really believes that was racist and a very bias conviction and it’s pretty blatant.
It should be something that is rarely used, but it’s being wielded by a power tripping narcissist. Once again, so much of our society is based on good faith.
So it needed some checks and boundaries, like only be available if a petition is signed by enough people or the Congress has to sign on it. Or has a limited number. Something. This US doing or not something because of tradition or something obviously does not work
This is what the appeals court is for. Not the president.