Member-only story
Christmas for Federal Criminals
Pardons have been a gift for questionable figures and a stain on the reputation of Presidents
It’s pardon season, that time in our electoral calendar in which the outgoing President uses his power to immunize people from prosecution for crimes they may have committed. Donald Trump has already begun the festivities, pardoning former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who lied to the FBI during the Mueller investigation (Flynn later cooperated with the feds, only to flip again and accuse the FBI of framing him).
This is likely not the last pardon, as the President tries to ensure the loyalty of some of his partners in crime. There’s already a federal investigation into attempted bribery connected to a Presidential pardon. Trump associates are floating the possibility that he will pardon his children for unspecified crimes. Who knows — Trump may try to test the Constitution by pardoning himself on the way out the door. The Presidential pardon power has always been controversial. Its potential for corrupt use has been clear from the beginning of the republic. Over the years, it’s been used to free cronies of the President, those caught up in Presidential scandals, and even traitors against the nation.
A controversial power
