Latest in pardons
The president should reaffirm the historically close relationship between the pardon power and the justice system, restructured so that each may once again usefully inform the other’s operation.
Trump could consult the Office of Legal Counsel, the White House Counsel, personal attorneys—or no one at all.
An updated tally of Donald Trump’s grants of clemency shows how extensively the president circumvented the normal pardon process to serve his personal and political goals and whims.
A newly-unsealed court document shows that the Justice Department is investigating a possible scheme involving political contributions in exchange for a presidential pardon.
President Trump is hardly alone in issuing dubious pardons and grants of clemency. It’s time to talk about a constitutional amendment to limit the pardon power.
The Stone commutation fits a pattern of abuse: Almost all of the beneficiaries of Trump’s pardons and commutations have had a personal or political connection to the president.
On May 18, the New York Times reported that President Trump has set in motion a process for obtaining advice from the Department of Justice about how to proceed in issuing pardons to several military service members charged with or convicted of war crimes. Specifically, the White House reportedly contacted the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which in turn contacted the relevant military branches for information about the cases—presumably to prepare a recommendation for or against pardons.