My Arts Editor pointed out last night that in order to accept a pardon, someone must be found guilty and accept that they are guilty. Naturally, this leads to the observation that, apropos the hubbub over Trump claiming he can pardon himself, it would be an admission of guilt.
And then think of President Ford’s pre-emptive pardoning of former President Nixon. Applied in the current context, pre-emptive pardoning would be an admission of future guilt for those Trump might pardon.
And then, he might even pre-emptively pardon himself.
Image: From the University of Washington’s production of Julius Caesar
It’s a two-edged sword, isn’t it? Does he immunize himself from all federal criminal prosecutions, daring his base to support him even as a future criminal? Indeed, this would be an admission of future guilt. He would be giving himself effective absolute power (at least until his subordinates refuse to do his bidding), since Congress doesn’t dare to impeach him. Both wings are controlled by blind Trump partisans, if not directly, then indirectly, and so Trump remains safe from that threat. However, his base, while able to give GOP elected officials pause, is not large enough to support him in office without help; he requires the support of independents, and most of them, already rejecting his use of the Presidential office, would be even more repulsed by this naked grab for power and immunity.
It’s madness like this that makes Trump’s claim so ludicrous. I have no idea how SCOTUS might rule if asked, but, to me, hypothetical scenarios like this make the self-pardon claim a bad joke.
