Trump Says He Can Pardon Himself
- Thread starter exGOPer
- Start date
The post Civil War decision of the Court in the ex parte case of Garland in 1865, as viewed in hindsight, seems today a largely correct decision. But had the 1865 court been able to anticipate a Nixon, or especially a Trump, they might have modified their ruling, without injustice to Garland, to head off the possibility of a future President issuing a blanket pardon for his/her entire administration for all offenses "against the United States which [have been] committed or [may have been] committed...". And then adding, "or [may be] comitted." Regardless, the mere idea of a President Pardoning him- or herself remains a Constitutional absurdity because it would create a monstrous logical conflict with the core tenets of the Constitution.
Even Nixon, whose legal mind was in the Rainbow Room compared to Trump's in underground parking, did not attempt to pardon either himself or his immediate staff, who all went to prison. Nixon was a crook, but a crook who understood the law. He made a mistake when he told Bob Haldeman, "when the President does it, it is not against the law." (Haldeman, of course, immediately knew better.) I'm sure, that later, when Dick Nixon was on the Green Helicopter, he thought to himself, "Damn, I should have said, "Bob, the President can get away with it." We are still waiting to find out if Nixon's thought would have been correct.
Even Nixon, whose legal mind was in the Rainbow Room compared to Trump's in underground parking, did not attempt to pardon either himself or his immediate staff, who all went to prison. Nixon was a crook, but a crook who understood the law. He made a mistake when he told Bob Haldeman, "when the President does it, it is not against the law." (Haldeman, of course, immediately knew better.) I'm sure, that later, when Dick Nixon was on the Green Helicopter, he thought to himself, "Damn, I should have said, "Bob, the President can get away with it." We are still waiting to find out if Nixon's thought would have been correct.
Last edited:
