Pardon Me: Trump Seeks Presidential Pardon

Despite popular belief, Donald Trump is not running for another shot at the presidency. He’s running for a presidential pardon.

Politics :
Yes, Trump realizes that he completely screwed up and overplayed his hand regarding the current classified documents debacle. He also realizes that his on-tape admission of guilt (that he stole the documents and knew they were classified) is very likely to send him to prison for the rest of his orange life. After all, his Monday night interview with Bret Baier on Fox News pretty much proved that Trump knows he’s doomed.

So, what is the Teflon Don doing to save his own butt? He’s forcibly demanding that every GOP candidate running for the Republican nomination for president promise that if they are elected, they will issue him a full presidential pardon of all past deeds and illegalities.

That is quite a demand, particularly since Donald Trump has dug himself into quite a deep hole. To date, he has been:

• Indicted on 34 felony counts by the Manhattan district attorney’s office over hush money deals he paid in the run-up to the 2016 election;
• Indicted on 37 felony counts by the Department of Justice for stealing classified documents from The White House and allegedly obstructing a federal investigation;
• The continued subject of a separate DOJ investigation into his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, which could result in criminal charges;
• The continued subject of an investigation by the district attorney’s office in Fulton County, Georgia, regarding his attempt to overturn the election there — which could also result in criminal charges that could be announced any day now.

Make no mistake, Trump is in legal crosshairs without a viable escape route. So, this last-ditch effort to save himself by demanding that every GOP candidate running for president pledge to pardon him (in the event he can’t do it himself) OR ELSE is quite a plan.

Recently, Trump addressed the Republican Party as if he were a no-nonsense mob boss and vowed to unleash his MAGA sycophants on any GOP candidate who refuses to promise him a “Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free” card on inauguration day. Sadly, Republicans are (still) so frightened of him that they’re actually contemplating cooperating.

So far, only 1 GOP candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, has acquiesced and promised to pardon Trump if elected. Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, and the other GOP hopefuls have all gone radio silent on Trump’s impending imprisonment. They recognize that a full-throated defense of him would alienate Independent voters and members of the GOP who have grown tired of Trump’s antics. They also recognize that failing to defend him will piss off the Trump/MAGA base of the party in a way that could hand Joe Biden 4 more years.

Or, in other words, they’re all damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

“I just think it’s premature to have any conversations about [pardons] right now,” former VP Mike Pence said as he delicately danced around the issue of a potential Trump pardon.

Meanwhile and as if that wasn’t enough, the Republican National Committee has reportedly refused Trump’s demand to require GOP candidates to pledge to support “the eventual nominee” (read: Trump) or else forfeit their participation in this summer’s primary debates. The denied request is proof-positive that the Republican Party has zero desire in putting their support behind a potential convicted felon.

Needless to say, this pending case regarding classified documents is severe and could be the end of the road for Donald Trump.  

However, the Georgia case (where Trump is heard on recording coercing the Secretary of State to “find” him votes so he could be declared the winner) could be even more damning.

If Trump is convicted in the federal case regarding the classified documents, any future Republican president could pardon him and release him from jail. But, wait. If Trump is convicted in the Georgia case (to cheat votes in his favor), that would be a state case and therefore ineligible for a presidential pardon.

Or, in other words, Trump could still be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t!

OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
Trump demands a pardon from GOP candidates.