Is Donald Trump offering preemptive presidential pardons for sale?
Politics
With Joe Biden only weeks away from overtaking the Oval Office, many in the bowels of Washington are beginning to realize that a new sheriff is coming to town — and, unlike Trump, won’t engage in or allow a criminal free-for-all on his watch.
So, how is everyone preparing for the new regime?
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Donald Trump recently made it clear that before he gets kicked out of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., he plans to provide preemptive presidential pardons for his children Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka Trump, as well as son-in-law Jared Kushner, for illegalities they “may” have already committed or “may” ever commit in the future. ‘The Donald’ also intends to issue a full blanket pardon to himself to cover his entire past, present, and future — although legal scholars say serving as both defendant and judge in a scheme to absolve himself may be unconstitutional.
However, don’t look now but there are others — MANY others — who are actively conniving to get on the preemptive presidential pardons list by any means necessary. They’re even willing to pay for the privilege.
At the top of the list is Trump’s lawyer and lead clown/flunkie, Rudy Giuliani, who, for some unknown reason, is itching to receive a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card from Donald Trump. Rudy wants a pardon so badly that he volunteered to lead Trump’s horrific election fraud case through the federal system despite not having litigated in a court of law since Nixon was president. Rudy has also been the loudest and most boisterous MAGA fanatic (second only to Trump himself) screaming from the rafters that the election was rigged and that Trump was robbed.
In Donald Trump-world, loyalty and cow-towing to him (read: kissing his ass) has its privileges. So, don’t be alarmed when Giuliani is handed one of those valuable preemptive presidential pardons just as Trump is heading out the door.
Still, Rudy is not the only one hoping to make Trump’s “nice” list.
According to just-released federal court documents, the William Barr-led US Justice Department is investigating a potential “bribery-for-pardon” scheme involving Donald Trump and his precious presidential pardons.
In heavily-redacted documents revealed Tuesday, federal authorities surveilled at least 2 unnamed individuals who “acted as lobbyists to senior White House officials, without complying with the registration requirement of the Lobbying Disclosure Act … to secure ‘a pardon or reprieve of sentence for'” an individual whose name was redacted. Additionally, investigators clued in on someone who wished to secretly “offer a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence.”
To put it all in simpler terms, it appears Trump may have been accepting bribes under the table from unsavory characters in Washington who were willing to “donate” to The Donald Trump personal cash fund in exchange for a spot on his preemptive presidential pardons list.
Now, here’s the clincher:
Trump certainly has the authority to pardon his children, his flunkies, and anyone else he wants. NO. QUESTIONS. ASKED. If he’s unable to legally pardon himself, he can easily resign from the presidency just before the Biden inauguration so that President-for-a-day Mike Pence could pardon him. Because presidential pardons are absolute, Trump and his squad would almost certainly avoid the federal long arm of the law, no matter what they did.
However, presidential pardons are only valid on the federal level — which means that the case NY State has waiting to launch against Trump the moment he leaves office is perfectly set up to exact justice.
Although NY State does not have jurisdiction over prosecuting crimes Trump may have committed while in office, they do hold a secret card trick up their sleeve.
When OJ Simpson was acquitted for murder in 1995, prosecutors vowed to eventually get him jailed one way or another. So, when Simpson broke into someone’s Las Vegas hotel room some years later in order to steal merchandise he said belonged to him, prosecutors saw their opening.
Simpson was convicted and sent to prison for breaking and entering and for theft. He didn’t end up in jail due to the original murder case, but it didn’t matter. He did go to jail and was still behind bars, which is all prosecutors wanted.
Don’t be surprised if NY State plays the same deck of cards against Donald Trump.
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Pardon investigation is Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020
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New York Times: President Trump has discussed with advisers whether to grant pre-emptive pardons to his children, to his son-in-law and to his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, and talked with Mr. Giuliani about pardoning him as recently as last week, according to two people briefed on the matter. Mr. Trump has told others that he is concerned that a Biden Justice Department might seek retribution against the president by targeting the oldest three of his five children — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — as well as Ms. Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser. Donald Trump Jr. had been under investigation by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, for contacts that the younger Mr. Trump had had with Russians offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, but he was never charged. Mr. Kushner provided false information to federal authorities… Read more »