Should the presidential pardon be limited or changed in any way?

[cynatnite]

It's obvious what tRump is doing. He's basically using the power to benefit himself personally. To protect himself and others. Anyone who he thinks will help him, he will give a pardon to.

I can't think of any moment in history where this power was so abused without a care in the world. The cases I read about took considerable time and they went through a process with the DOJ and WH lawyers.

This is classic authoritarianism. Protect your friends and go after your enemies.

Considering this abuse, should the power be done away with altogether?

Perhaps congress can pass pardon limits?

Or perhaps a bipartisan type of commission that needs a majority in pardon recommendations?

[raccoon]

1. Yes. When you have a slimeball like DT in the WH, it's too risky. nt

[rzemanfl]

2. Your death wish is misdirected.

It's not the power, it's the person.

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. Along with EC.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. As I understand it, it already has...

the fascist in the WH has abandoned all pretense of their being a vetting process.

He is handing them out as personal favors.

He just gives them because he thinks he is a dictator.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. It's in the Constitution so it will be tough to get rid of.

It hasn't been much of a problem until now. Bill Clinton got some flak for pardoning Mark Rich but apart from that I've never before heard that the pardon was controversial - because normal presidents didn't abuse it.

[Igel]

12. Depends on who you talk to.

There have been claims that the pardon was used not for individual mercy but to reach out to specific groups and show that the president had empathy for those groups (of voters) and their concerns.

A president playing politics? So what else is new?

A president's actions furthering the political power of his party? That strikes me as personal.

[Squinch]

6. Yes. Due process and the rule of law should matter.

[dameatball]

7. Some people should be pardoned. The trouble is that the pardon is being misused.

Under this administration, some guy sentenced on a drug charge for 20 years will never sniff a pardon. Someone in favor with the GOP or Trump......no worries.

[PoliticAverse]

8. "Perhaps congress can pass pardon limits?" - Congress ultimately can't limit Presidential pardons...

which are a power granted to the President by the Constitution without amending the Constitution.

[unblock]

9. the limit on the pardon power is the impeachment power.

unfortunately, that part of the system is currently broken.

[oasis]

10. Maybe after a president has been censured. With approval of congress.

On a president to president basis.

[Kablooie]

11. If you follow that logic...

The office of the presidency should be abolished.

We can't reconfigure our whole system of government just to deal with Trump.

[cynatnite]

13. Maybe I should have asked the question in this way?

I was hoping for a bit of a discussion, but I understand the answers. I agree with most of them. It just had me thinking about this kind of power.

The rule of law has no meaning whatsoever if it's used like this. Not only that, if one person can abuse it like this, what's stopping another one the next time or later down the road?

[smirkymonkey]

14. +1000

I agree completely. I would like to see this power curtailed, especially for certain types of crimes.