President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

1. I wouldn't say that. Don't be like Trump and judge the effect of something by whether or not it's getting big cable news play.
2. Pardoning Flynn, etc. would be problematic for Trump himself legally. A pardon means its recipient can be forced to testify to Congress, a prosecutor, etc. under penalty of perjury since a a pardon wipes out self-incrimination protection. It's not a get out of jail free card for all time anymore than witness protection is.

 

Yep. And it's a way of communicating to the others implicated in the Russia investigation: See, if you guys take the fall to protect me, I'll give you a pardon, and we'll all get a way scot free.

And, fwiw, there's a clear precedent for that strategy working with the Scooter Libby pardon during the Dubya administration. Libby took the fall to protect Cheney, then Libby got his pardon, and they all ended up unpunished. After the Libby pardon, the media screeched for just a few days, but it was surprising how quickly it died down after that as we got distracted by other stories. In effect, we let them get away with it unscathed.

You think anyone in the Trump administration remembers that lesson?

 

See also: Made trains run on time, Mussolini.

 

Michael, you know better than to figure Trump is thinking that far ahead.

 

Well, yeah, sure, except that Libby didn't get a pardon.

 

Of course not him. But the White House counsel and Trump's private lawyer would.

 

True, Libby had his sentence commuted, just as Manning did.

 

That's right. His sentence was commuted, technically not a pardon. Forgive me, my memory was fuzzy.

But the point and reasoning still stand. The lesson remains the same.

 

Stand by. That's coming, along with the unconditional, unlimited self-pardon.

 

Not just "technically" not a pardon. It was not a pardon at all.

He received a commutation on a portion of his sentence.

And, Cheney was pissed with Bush in the final weeks of the presidency, because Bush didn't want to hear about it any more.

 

An argument for locking this thread!

Opinion | Getting Trump Out of My Brain

 

Then Fucko just hands out pardons for the perjury and contempt charges. Everybody goes scot-free.