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Trump expected to issue flurry of pardons on way out

82 Comments
By JILL COLVIN, ERIC TUCKER and JONATHAN LEMIRE

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82 Comments

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Trump will go down in history as the most corrupt politician in US history. And as the worst president - ever.

44 ( +57 / -13 )

“Now I hear that these same people that failed to get me in Washington have sent every piece of information to New York so that they can try to get me there,” he said.

A guilty conscience perhaps?

Nah - I doubt he has one of those given he is so absorbed with himself and his own needs

30 ( +34 / -4 )

DOJ can go before a judge to contest a pardon,question it legality

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Trump is truly a great scam artist. He isn't fighting the election because he wants to be president. He is fighting it because he is allowed to keep the donations. He is selling his power to pardon as well. Even on his way out, this guy will do anything to make a profit.

21 ( +25 / -4 )

Pardon 'em all dumbo! SDNY and 'Tish James is still going to come for you. Oh BTW, while you're busy with your Santa wish list the death list from Covid is increasing; you might want to get engaged with that while you're playing golf and making your Santa list.

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Best part of that headline; “on way out”.

Rest is gravy.

13 ( +18 / -5 )

@Farmboy

I am certain that if a preemptive pardon is allowed, he will pardon himself, and it is because he is guilty of the crimes he is being accused of in New York and elsewhere.

Luckily his pardon powers don't work on the state level. So he can't pardon himself out of state crimes. Only federal.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Trump the Incompetent with his lifelong laziness was naturally incapable of learning the job of president, but he did learn quickly to love the pomp and circumstance of the presidency, the loyal adulation of the gullible and the proverbial presidential pulpit from which he rallied his followers to death with his interminable ranting and revealed himself to the nation to be the infantile, irascible bully and conman he has always been. To his dismay, Trump discovered the wall - of checks and balances limiting presidential powers, except for the anachronistic, kingly right to pardon which he now intends to abuse with a string of corrupt pardons to put a vengeful period to his disastrous performance as president.

His corrupt pardons must be challenged in the courts next year and limits to pardons or their outright abolition should be on Biden's agenda. Trump must never be allowed a second chance to diminish further America's imperfect democracy.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

Good. Same as Ford, Carter, Clinton, Bush....in other words, all departing Presidents do this. Carter even pardoned draft dodgers who fled to Canada!

-17 ( +9 / -26 )

On [his] way out????

Trump will refuse to leave and there is going to be a war with General Flynn as Trump's top war guy. Proof:

Michael Flynn calls for Trump to suspend the constitution and declare martial law to re-run election

(news quote)

There is NO on [his] way out

Trump people, are you ready to fight proudly in American's second civil war for Trump? As you know Socialism is worse than death. Get ready to prove your allegiance to Trump because your life depends on it.

Give me liberty, or give me death!

(Patrick Henry)

5 ( +9 / -4 )

I believe every President has that right. Even if you don't agree with his choices.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Good. Same as Ford, Carter, Clinton, Bush....in other words, all departing Presidents do this. Carter even pardoned draft dodgers who fled to Canada!

Oh no! What's next pardoning low level drug offenders? We can't have that!

The difference between Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Bush is that none of them pardoned people directly connected to them. He's already pardoned Flynn and now there's talk of blanket pardons for his kids. Do you really think that isn't corrupt?

11 ( +17 / -6 )

Let's see how many of these pardons stand up in court!!!

Anyhow there are a bunch of investigations happening in NY that aren't affected by the possible pardons.

The trump crime family will be taken down soon and it will be fun!!!

6 ( +12 / -6 )

Jerk! Now he is almost at the lowest level! Last step will be Riker's island!

Why? Because he will exercise his right to pardon?

-8 ( +9 / -17 )

Pardons? These are better titled as "QPQ"s....

Trump selling "get out of jail free cards" just like he tried to sell US military equipment for fake dirt on Biden...and how did that work out?

Hw has no integrity, he has no morality, he has no shame...

9 ( +15 / -6 )

I would love for Rudy to be his own lawyer when he is prosecuted.

And it should be televised live!!!

6 ( +12 / -6 )

For a being a president that is supposedly fixated on "Law and Order" he seems to be pardoning a lot of crooks. What a joke.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

Bill Clinton pardoned his brother, Roger Clinton, Jr., for 1985 convictions of cocaine possession and drug-trafficking.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Pardon Assange

Pardon Snowden

9 ( +15 / -6 )

For a being a president that is supposedly fixated on "Law and Order" he seems to be pardoning a lot of crooks. What a joke.

You have inside info on who he will pardon?

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

He should go down in a blaze of glory and pardon every single patriot against the swamp and socialism.

Pardon Assange

Pardon Snowden

Absolutely.

-2 ( +11 / -13 )

In 2017, Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who was court-martialed for violating the espionage act after giving classified documents to WikiLeaks.

The hypocrisy of some of the posters is mind-boggling.

-8 ( +7 / -15 )

There’s a lot to unpack here:

First, as mentioned, pardons don’t protect one from state charges. There is very little that Don and his pardon possie are accused of that cannot be prosecuted in NY state.

Also, from a legal perspective, accepting a pardon, even a pre-emptive one, is an admission of guilt Every pardon receiver will be from the date of the pardon, be known as “an admitted felon.”

Lastly, the idea that a sitting president could be a judge in his own case by pardoning himself is so laughably stupid, the framers didn’t even bother to put it into the country. I guess they didn’t fore see a narcissistic sociopath becoming president.....

As a matter of American justice, and self-pardon must be challenged. It cannot be ignored. The DOJ must charge Trump (there are any number of possibilities) challenge the pardon, and prosecute in Federal court.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

He would be safer in jail than walking down the street, oh I forgot he doesn't walk around common people.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

I get the feeling the pardoning powers of the President's office are soon going to be put to the test.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Fire up some pardons for your buds, hit the links, and get those Twitter conspiracy fingers warmed up!

All in a Presidential Day's work, while a viral pandemic kills thousands of U.S citizens daily.

This is what the Presidency has come to.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Those about to receive a pardon are not strangers who deserve them, they are pretty much all associates of Trump, family members of Trump and those to whom Trump may owe a favor or who he wants a favor from in the near future. If that in itself is not reason enough to lock him up for corrupt conduct then the US system is very much broken. I dont imagine that is what the founding fathers had in mind when setting up the Pardon right for a President.

The worst President from day one, to the last day and every day in between. Lock him up!

8 ( +11 / -3 )

...on the way out and don't let the door hit you on the rump on the way OUT!

4 ( +9 / -5 )

If he and his family are as innocent as his cult would have us believe, why would he be considering pardons for himself and his family?

8 ( +13 / -5 )

Carter even pardoned draft dodgers who fled to Canada!

He should have awarded them medals. They were/are patriots against the US genocidal doings in Asia.

3 ( +11 / -8 )

It will be interesting to see how much money he will rake in from this. Every person he pardons, will be owing him some money in the future. After all, he's raking in a fortune from his fake fraud claims asking for donors to fork out 250 dollars a month for a year:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/trump-takes-donors-graduate-school-152302948.html

9 ( +11 / -2 )

so the entire outrage is what Trump is "expected" to do.

Cant even wait until he does it to criticize it?

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

Trump will go down in history as the most corrupt politician in US history. And as the worst president - ever.

Not to half of the nation as far as history goes, it’ll all depend on who you’re asking.

-13 ( +7 / -20 )

so the entire outrage is what Trump is "expected" to do.

Cant even wait until he does it to criticize it?

None of it matters; a fart in the wind like all the rest of the hot air he has been making over the past month.

He’s gone soon, that’s that. He can stamp his little feet all he likes.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

A salient legal question is can one be pardoned for a crime that has neither been charged, prosecuted or a guilty verdict arrived at? Neither he nor any member of his family are under a current Federal indictment. None are charged with any Federal crimes at this point. What exactly is there to pardon? I would think there has to be a conviction handed down by a court of law for there to be anything to pardon. Any crime charged after he leaves office would not be something he should be able to pardon. Ultimately this is something that will probably end up before the US Supreme Court. One can never predict what they will do but with Mr. Trump out of office one would expect the Supreme Court would take a broader historical perspective of such a case knowing that it would apply to all Presidents in the future, of both parties.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Trump continues to drag the country lower leaving bigger messes behind, and his faithful laugh like crazy, can't stop laughing and LOL. While claiming to be 'Americans'.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Selling pardons to the highest bidder, just one more thing for him to be charged with when he leaves the protection of the White House.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Not to half of the nation as far as history goes

Less than 1/2 of the voting public. Trump supporters are not a majority. They are not a plurality. They are in the minority.

Biden has received 81 million votes. Trump about 74 million.

Now, I know math is hard, but bear with me: 81 million is 7 million more than 74 million. “By a lot!”to use Trump’s own words.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

This custom of pardoning wrong-doers has been abused by presidents on both sides, but this custom is being stretched to the limit under this president.

Presidential pardons should either be strictly limited or preferably abandoned completely. Otherwise, especially with somebody like former Trump campaign manager Manafort, we will never know how far Russia penetrated a major political party, in this case the Republicans. We know that treason was committed, but we will probably never understand the true depths of it because Trump officially pardoned this criminal/traitor.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Except half the nation didn't vote for Trump and more voted for Biden

So they say, they keep browbeating us on that, we know.

-11 ( +6 / -17 )

obama and clinton the same. So? And?

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

It just tickles me pink when people keep saying Trump is going to go to jail this is the end of Trump, it’s curtains for Trump, we don’t wanna hear anything else, we don’t wanna hear any opposing views, we just watch Trump is locked up in shackled and hung and drawn and quartered and put in a dungeon for the rest of his eternal days and that’s just not going to happen and it doesn’t matter what any of the media says and it doesn’t matter what these lawyers try to do, it’s just not going to happen, they couldn’t get the sky on impeachment they couldn’t get him on these trumped up debunked Mueller charges and now they THINK Andrew Weissman can somehow magically put the shackles on this guy? Yeah, right.

The chances of trump going to prison is probably as likely as Hillary, McCabe, Comey and Strzok going and if that happens, Trump really needs to worry. Lol

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

they couldn’t get the sky on impeachment 

You always seem to forget that Trump was actually successfully impeached and only acquitted (and never exonarated) by his own party. So they already "got him".

5 ( +8 / -3 )

@bass4funk

Not to half of the nation as far as history goes, it’ll all depend on who you’re asking.

I can't understand why this comment received negative replies. What he speaks is the truth. Depending on who you ask, Trump is corrupt or a hero. Technically, you can say Trump is the most popular President in modern history. What is scary about the amount of votes Trump received is that majority of Biden votes are anti Trump votes while majority of Trump votes are Pro-Trump votes. Its a scary concept to wrap around the division of the country.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Actually, Trump is in significant legal jeopardy. NY state is investigating him for tax fraud and Bank fraud.

DOJ, will make the decisions on whether or not to investigate obstruction of justice.

So keep being “tickled”, Trump is in serious trouble and he knows it.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Under the Biden administration ex-prosecutor Harris should be able to identify which of the Trumpardons must be treated as prima facie obstruction of justice for which there ought to be no pardon whatsoever, if "nobody is above the law". Let us hope the 46th will not repeat the first dereliction of duty of the 44th who became an "accessory-after-the- torture", to put it mildly. Next year America's vaunted "justice for all" will once again be severely tested.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Since you are into politicians beig corrupt, by all means start ranting about joe joe

Its already started.

Actually, Trump is in significant legal jeopardy. NY state is investigating him for tax fraud and Bank fraud. 

Again, that’s not going anywhere, Trump has been audited a few times and even back then they were trying to get him Jerry Nadler and Trump go way back they despise each other and even back then when the IRS audit at Trump they found nothing, but now after 25 years they’re just going to magically find crimes on Trump regarding his businesses of alleged financial crimes that occurred back in the 90s and couldn’t prove. It’s going to be the same thing if Trump can’t prove that there was such thing as voter fraud, he has nothing in the Dems are in that same position right now, they have nothing.

DOJ, will make the decisions on whether or not to investigate obstruction of justice. 

They can, good luck. Lol

So keep being “tickled”, Trump is in serious trouble and he knows it.

Naw, Trump has nothing to worry about especially if Trump can prove in a court of law that they are after him out of hatred and anger and fear of vendetta, then this won’t go anywhere either.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

I can't understand why this comment received negative replies. What he speaks is the truth. Depending on who you ask, Trump is corrupt or a hero. Technically, you can say Trump is the most popular President in modern history. What is scary about the amount of votes Trump received is that majority of Biden votes are anti Trump votes while majority of Trump votes are Pro-Trump votes. Its a scary concept to wrap around the division of the country.

I wouldn’t entirely disagree with that assessment.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Technically, you can say Trump is the most popular President in modern history.

And that would be completely false. His approval rating never went over 49, when Obama's went to 67, Clinton's to 73 and Bush Jr.'s to a whopping 90 after 9-11.

that majority of Biden votes are anti Trump votes

That is not true either.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Naw, Trump has nothing to worry about especially if Trump can prove in a court of law that they are after him out of hatred and anger and fear of vendetta, then this won’t go anywhere either.

Unfortunately for Republicans and Trump cultists, such predictions are proving to be increasingly empty or awkwardly, tragically, incorrect. The landslides, the never going to happen rhetoric all proved to be hot air. Now, all that can be offered up is more of the same and the fringe beyond the outer limits talk of stolen elections thanks to Venezuela/China/North Korea.

And a reminder, that there is zero proof that the election was fraudulent. The Trump narrative, one of projection, is a very dangerous one, indeed. Riling the base up because he cannot deal with the reality of the situation. His mind needs to be focused on the pandemic and not the vanity of losing/winning.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

He can stamp his little feet all he likes.

And he most certainly will, that's is what the left hates about him. He does what he says.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Not to half of the nation as far as history goes, it’ll all depend on who you’re asking.

But you told me that you don’t regard public opinion as a good guide and prefer the elitist approach in the form of non-partisan historians. For example, you sneered at Bush 2’s appalling approval rating when leaving office and told us that you preferred the views of non-partisan historians who viewed him as a success.

Is public opinion a useful guide this time?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

And he most certainly will, that's is what the left hates about him. He does what he says.

That wall is very impressive.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

And that would be completely false

No, it’s true. Trump has over 89% approval by Republicans as a President over any other Republican, this is the main reason why some Republicans are afraid to challenge Trump. 70+ million is not by any means remotely close to a tiny number.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

I'm not aware of any federal investigations into Trump for which a pardon would resolve. They are all state investigations.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

And he most certainly will, that's is what the left hates about him. He does what he says.

He doesn't, though. He was informed of the grave risk of the virus at the start and did nothing about it. In fact, he lied and played it down. He suggested quack cures. He is responsible for the deaths of 270 thousand Americans.

That is one of the many reasons the left, liberals, Republican voters and the rest of the world hate about him.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

No, it’s true.

It's false.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Technically, you can say Trump is the most popular President in modern history.

BWAHAHAHAHA......

The guy was never above water in job approval in his entire term. Not once. He lost the popular vote be a combined 10 million votes.

When you make people nostalgic for W, you’re not popular.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Trump has been audited a few times and even back then they were trying to get him 

He was named as “Individual #1 - essentially an un-indicted co-conspirator In the Cohen case.

NY state is deadly serious about tax and bank fraud.

He’s in deep trouble and he knows it. NOBODY who’s not seriously worried would even ponder the lunacy of a self-pardon.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I'm not aware of any federal investigations into Trump for which a pardon would resolve. They are all state investigations.

With little merit.

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

He does what he says.

Release his tax records, lock up Hillary, ban Tiktok, make Mexico pay for a wall, shall I go on?

4 ( +8 / -4 )

And he most certainly will, that's is what the left hates about him. He does what he says.

I can’t speak for the left, just for myself.

What I hate about him is that he never does what he says and yet many gullible people fall for it.

Still, as I said earlier in the thread, he’s going away and that’s that. What he does in the next few weeks is unimportant compared to the at great relief.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Trump's approval rating is less than the previous three presidents.

Not true.

DAVID GERGEN: “Well, it does underscore the fact that there are grave splits within the White House. And, you know, Eric and Donald — listen, I think this is part of a larger plan by the president. He has in mind to have these grievances get out there, plant them in the public mind, knowing that he’s not going to succeed, that he is going to be forced out of office. But that he will leave office with some 70 million people who voted for him. A lot of them are going to back him up when he goes back into civilian life. And he will build a foundation to potentially run again. Certainly he’s building a foundation to be a shadow president. He does not want to leave the stage. You know, he’s too addicted to it, and I think this is all part of a larger scheme. You know, he’s got some possibility of — 0.001% of winning this, but I think he does leave — I think he could leave the White House being the most powerful in the Republican Party. We won’t be giving him the kind of coverage we’ve given him, but he still will have a following of immense size.”

https://grabien.com/story.php?id=313491

Trump's current approval rating is 43%.

Nope, not even close

The latest Gallup poll showed Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis did not diminish support among Republicans, with a 94 per cent approval rating in the first two weeks of October, compared with 4 per cent among Democrats and 43 per cent across the electorate.

https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/please-explain/october-2020/Please-Explain-Why-is-Republican-approval-of-Donald-Trump-so-high

Many senior republicans have deserted Trump

And he definitely has a chance to get them back, knowing the Dems struggle with healthcare.

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

And that would be completely false. His approval rating never went over 49, when Obama's went to 67, Clinton's to 73 and Bush Jr.'s to a whopping 90 after 9-11.

Obama and Clinton had bad approval ratings prior to their reelection. Approval ratings are opinions and not a thing of fact. You poll some people for their opinions. I'm not a Trump fan. But say what you want about Biden, he didn't win because he was popular. He won because he was the Trump alternative. Biden's poll numbers took off after the phrase was "settle for Biden" was coined. That phrase sampled higher than any of Biden actual campaign phrases.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Trump is the Lone Ranger fading into the background.

70+ million doesn’t seem like a lonely number....

Great to see the Trump loyalists here flogging that horse spinning the spin entertaining stuff...

Trump and his family are in panic mode why would even talk about pardoning your family or yourself if you've done nothing wrong...

No, I just think that liberals want Trump to be panicky and he doesn’t have to be, they are the ones that are flogging a dead horse, they try to impeach this guy they try to get him taken out and cuffs by a faulty fake Russian investigation and Trump should be scared about what? He was already audited, they have nothing unless they want to throw something in there to incriminate the guy, but other than that once a part in some self it’s going to make it even tougher for them to get him even on state level charges, this is a reason why you want to have some of the best lawyers on the planet, good luck with that, the Dems have nothing and they know they don’t have anything.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

I am sorry, But each one of these pardons should be evaluated on a case by case nature by a non partial panel of lawmakers. Flynn. Pardon? Sketchy ne.

Pardons for his family? Again, Shaking up the establishment may cause some outside of the box and questionable practices and I get that. But family?

Obama handed more Pardon then any other U.S President in a while.

Here is a list of pardons and it is extensive.

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-pardons

Many of these pardons Obama granted are very very questionable as well.

Seems to be the out going POTUS thing to do.

To show men that crimes can be pardoned, and that punishment is not their inevitable consequence, encourages the illusion of impunity and induces the belief that, since there are pardons, those sentences which are not pardoned are violent acts of force rather than the products of justice.

-Cesare Beccaria

No one should be above the law. Not even POTUS. But sadly these are not the times we live in.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Most pardons Obama gave seem to be drug related. So, what that does tell you about Obama's faith in organization's like the ATF DEA Homeland and ICE. IRS.

But on the flip side, I complement Obama in giving addict's a second chance.

And many of you thought I had nothing nice to say about Obama and Democrats.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

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