Presidential pardons

[Tigers!]

On the news on the weekend I heards reports that Trump would talk to Biden about the possibility of a presidential pardon should Biden win.

Not being in the US this has me puzzled.
It is normal that the possible outgoing president asks the possible incoming president for a pardon?
Why would that be necessary? i would have thought that a president would not be prosecuted for actions taken as part of their duties?
Did Obama ask Trump for a pardon? Did Bush ask Obama?

Perhaps i have missed something going on here?
in Australia a PM is protected legally from being prosecuted for activities taken during their legislative and administrative roles. Would not the same apply in the USA?

 

[Rhea]

Trump is in trouble for stuff outside of his role as President. And crimes cimmitted as president are not covered.
Ford Pardoned Nixon for covering up the break-in to the Democratic capmaign offices.

 

[Patooka]

On the news on the weekend I heards reports that Trump would talk to Biden about the possibility of a presidential pardon should Biden win.

Not being in the US this has me puzzled.
It is normal that the possible outgoing president asks the possible incoming president for a pardon?
Why would that be necessary? i would have thought that a president would not be prosecuted for actions taken as part of their duties?
Did Obama ask Trump for a pardon? Did Bush ask Obama?

Perhaps i have missed something going on here?
in Australia a PM is protected legally from being prosecuted for activities taken during their legislative and administrative roles. Would not the same apply in the USA?

The flaw in your argument is that it is based on a few wrong premises:

1) You can't get a pardon until you are convicted of something first.

2) It's highly unlikely Trump is in any sort of good faith negotiations with Biden on anything.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

On the news on the weekend I heards reports that Trump would talk to Biden about the possibility of a presidential pardon should Biden win.

Not being in the US this has me puzzled.
It is normal that the possible outgoing president asks the possible incoming president for a pardon?
Why would that be necessary? i would have thought that a president would not be prosecuted for actions taken as part of their duties?
Did Obama ask Trump for a pardon? Did Bush ask Obama?

Perhaps i have missed something going on here?
in Australia a PM is protected legally from being prosecuted for activities taken during their legislative and administrative roles. Would not the same apply in the USA?

I believe a president would be protected for actions legitimately taken as part of his job. He would not be protected for actions that were definitely not part of his job (for example, the aid that was held up for dirt on Hunter Biden) and I don't know for actions that were the misapplication of legitimate powers (for example, what he has been doing with the post office.)

How about Biden gives him a full pardon for all acts committed during his presidency in which he cooperates fully in identifying and testifying against any co-conspirators?

 

[Elixir]

On the news on the weekend I heards reports that Trump would talk to Biden about the possibility of a presidential pardon should Biden win.

Not being in the US this has me puzzled.
It is normal that the possible outgoing president asks the possible incoming president for a pardon?
Why would that be necessary? i would have thought that a president would not be prosecuted for actions taken as part of their duties?
Did Obama ask Trump for a pardon? Did Bush ask Obama?

Perhaps i have missed something going on here?
in Australia a PM is protected legally from being prosecuted for activities taken during their legislative and administrative roles. Would not the same apply in the USA?

I believe a president would be protected for actions legitimately taken as part of his job.

Then Trump could keep the determination of legitimacy in court for 30 years, or the end of his life whichever comes first. That HAS been his MO...
Also, Ford's pardon of Nixon was preemptive; a conviction is not required for a pardon to be issued.

With Nixon's resignation, Congress dropped its impeachment proceedings. Criminal prosecution was still a possibility at both the federal and the state level.[64] Nixon was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford as President, who on September 8, 1974, issued a full and unconditional pardon of Nixon, immunizing him from prosecution for any crimes he had "committed or may have committed or taken part in" as president

 

[Keith&Co.]

On the news on the weekend I heards reports that Trump would talk to Biden about the possibility of a presidential pardon should Biden win.

Not being in the US this has me puzzled.
It is normal that the possible outgoing president asks the possible incoming president for a pardon?
Why would that be necessary? i would have thought that a president would not be prosecuted for actions taken as part of their duties?
Did Obama ask Trump for a pardon? Did Bush ask Obama?

Perhaps i have missed something going on here?
in Australia a PM is protected legally from being prosecuted for activities taken during their legislative and administrative roles. Would not the same apply in the USA?

The flaw in your argument is that it is based on a few wrong premises:

1) You can't get a pardon until you are convicted of something first.

2) It's highly unlikely Trump is in any sort of good faith negotiations with Biden on anything.

Two things, though.
1) Ford pardoned Nixon. Without a conviction.
2) The reason Ford pardoned Nixon.

If this is happening, i would suspect Trump's team is trying to evoke Ford's logic - to get the country past a divisive, hurtful series of events that will tear it further apart, dragging it thru the courts.
Trying to sell the image of Biden stepping in to heal the wounds....

However, as i recall that pardon, it was an unsatisfactory end to a lot of drama. We wanted blood. Wouldn't really have mattered whose. Someone had to answer for all that hysteria in and around the White House.
Then, poof. It was gone. Like the whole season of a show ending with a two-parter cliffhanger, then getting cancelled during the summer.
Mad, my god. And we took it out on Ford.

If Biden pardons Trump, the conservatives will never reward him, or even thank him. The liberals will never trust him. Four years as a lame duck president. Worse, Harris will have to distance herself from the pardon, and publically call it wrong, or be tarred by the same brush.
So, a lame duck without even a unified administration.

 

[zorq]

Corruption should have consequences, otherwise it is legitimized. Corruption at the top filters down to all lower branches of government. An example should be made proving that our democracy is still a democracy and not a banana republic.

Both of South Korea's most recent two ex-presidents are currently in jail for corruption. The sins of both these presidents pale in comparison to those of Mr. Trump. The current SK president therefore, unsurprisingly, campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption. Wouldn't that be a nice plank to see featured prominently on the US party platforms?

 

[southernhybrid]

I doubt that Biden will pardon Trump, plus Trump is under investigation in New. York and a president can only pardon federal crimes. If Trump is found guilty of state crimes, only the governor of that state, assuming the state has given its governor such powers, can pardon someone for state crimes. I kind of doubt Cuomo would pardon Trump.

 

[Gun Nut]

It is simply impossible that such discussions have occurred with Trump... maybe others who are investigating all possibilities, but definitely not Trump.
The Biden camp should absolutely suggest that a presidential pardon from an incoming president for the outgoing president is "tradition", and make reference to Ford / Nixon... and then never actually offer it... extra points for stringing him along letting him self-incriminate, like his big mouth certainly will, thinking he will be pardoned for anything... and still never actually get the pardon.
Maybe offer it in exchange for the resignation of his judicial appointments... it would be on them to choose, though... if they want to step down then his appointer may not go to jail... and then if they step down, reneg the pardon again...

After Biden wins, they should hire Alec Baldwin to cameo on press briefings when asked about the ongoing handling of whatever situation Trump is causing.

Baldwin: "A Pardon is coming soon.. Stay tuned! It's going to be BIG... the BIGEST pardon anyone ever seen..."

 

[ideologyhunter]

Meh. The OP starts with "On the news on the weekend..." Too vague, and too unbelievable, even in Trumpistan. Donald Trump is truly stupid (sly, but stupid), but even he wouldn't hand the Biden camp such a juicy political weapon.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

I was told in 2009 that if Obama took any action, any action at all, to investigate the war crimes of W, that would be proof that we are in a Banana Republic. I was told that Obama should let the past be the past, that Bush was out of office so it didn't matter anymore.

It wasn't Republicans who told me that.

Is Trump that much different should Biden win?

 

[Patooka]

Yes. Libertarians need to learn context.

 

[laughing dog]

Yes. Libertarians need to learn context.

In order to do that, they need to be tethered to reality first.

 

[Patooka]

Fuck! I knew I forgot something.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I was told in 2009 that if Obama took any action, any action at all, to investigate the war crimes of W, that would be proof that we are in a Banana Republic. I was told that Obama should let the past be the past, that Bush was out of office so it didn't matter anymore.

It wasn't Republicans who told me that.

Is Trump that much different should Biden win?

If you have to ask...

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Yes, I have to ask. W did commit some very real war crimes. He should have been impeached in 2007 when the Democrats took control of congress, but Pelosi declared it off the table. Then when Obama was elected in 2009, it became clear that the Democrats weren't going to take any action for W's war crimes.

I know Trump is guilty of being a boor. So yes I have to ask.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Actually I do know the answer to this one.

The reason Obama took no action against the war crimes of Bush is because Obama was eager to start his own military adventures. It would look very bad if he were to censure Bush in any way and then turn the Bush doctrine into the Obama doctrine.

 

[KeepTalking]

I was told in 2009 that if Obama took any action, any action at all, to investigate the war crimes of W, that would be proof that we are in a Banana Republic. I was told that Obama should let the past be the past, that Bush was out of office so it didn't matter anymore.

It wasn't Republicans who told me that.

Is Trump that much different should Biden win?

First, perhaps you should take it up with those who told you that. Next, yes, Trump is that much worse. W was not trying to actively dismantle our democracy, Trump is. Then there are their respective death tolls with regard to American lives, Trump's is far higher (and still counting), and he is playing with the lives of everyone in the country, not just the military.

 

[KeepTalking]

Actually I do know the answer to this one.

Really, let's review the question the, shall we?

Is Trump that much different should Biden win?

The reason Obama took no action against the war crimes of Bush is because Obama was eager to start his own military adventures. It would look very bad if he were to censure Bush in any way and then turn the Bush doctrine into the Obama doctrine.

The answer you provided does not seem to match the question you asked. I want my money back for this course.