AS of December 24, 2020, President Donald Trump has given clemency in the form of pardons or commutations to more than 90 people, from white-collar criminals to nonviolent drug offenders.
Here’s what you should know about presidential pardons.
What are the powers of presidential pardons?
• Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state crimes.
• It only extends to criminal offences and does not preclude civil actions.
• A president can offer pardons or clemency even if an individual has not been charged or convicted with a federal crime.
• The legal forgiveness ends any further punishment and restores civil rights such as being able to vote or run for public office.
• The pardon, however, doesn't wipe out the record of the conviction.
What’s the history behind presidential pardons?
• The power to grant a pardon originates from the English system and is historically a royal prerogative.
• It was carried into American practice. George Washington issued the first presidential pardon in 1795 to leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion on his final day in office.
• Every US President has used the pardon power.
• Barack Obama pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the conviction of 1,927 people during his term in office.
• At the federal level, the president has the power to permit a pardon. At the state level, the governor or a pardon board made up of high-ranking state officials could grant it.
How does a presidential pardon work?
• You ask for one. This means applying through a process overseen by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Pardon Attorney.
• Traditionally, individuals seeking a pardon apply through DOJ and will have to wait for at least five years from the time they were released from prison before requesting a pardon.
• The president, however, may choose to bypass the Pardon Attorney and grant a pardon even in the absence of application or recommendation from DOJ. In other words, the president can pardon anyone.
Are there limits on a presidential pardon?
• The power to grant clemency is still one of the broadest powers granted to a president under the U.S. Constitution.
• There’s no limit to how many people a president can pardon.
• Neither the U.S. Congress nor the courts have the authority to overturn a presidential pardon once it has been granted. With that kind of sweeping power comes questions and controversy.
What is the controversy now?
• Trump had tested the idea that he could pardon himself after his defeat in the November Presidential elections. But so far, he has not done it.
• It would be legal for Trump to pardon his inner circle, including members of his family.
• It is still an open legal question and remains unclear whether the president can pardon himself constitutionally, because it has never been attempted before.
• There are a few obstacles to the president pardoning himself.
• Firstly, pardons are only applicable to federal crimes. Trump could be slammed with a pile of personal lawsuits once he leaves office but many are in New York.
• Secondly, the Constitution forbids presidents from acquitting themselves from impeachments. Which means the crimes that the president is found guilty of committing as part of his impeachment would not be valid for a pardon.
• Alternatively, instead of granting a pardon for himself, Trump could also resign prior to leaving office, handing the mandate to pardon over to Vice President Mike Pence.
• But looking at the recent riot incident at the US Capitol, where Trump put Pence’s life at risk, it appears unlikely that the vice president would grant the president a pardon.
Controversial presidential pardons in the past
• In 1974, former President Richard Nixon was preemptively pardoned by his successor Gerald Ford for all crimes he might have committed against the US while he was in office. The decision was never challenged.
• In 2001, former President Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger Clinton, after he served a year in prison for pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges.
• Clinton also pardoned fugitive banker and political ally Mark Rich while in office.
• More recently, Obama's most famous act of clemency was to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked military secrets.
Who has Trump pardoned?
• Trump pardoned four former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead.
• He also pardoned former aides convicted during investigations by special prosecutor Robert Mueller on allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US Elections
https://www.astroawani.com/berita-dunia/trump-in-wave-of-tuesday-pardons-so-far-not-planning-to-pardon-himself-source-278373
Melissa Fernando
Mon Jan 18 2021
Before he leaves office, Trump can grant forgiveness to anyone convicted of committing a federal crime. REUTERS file pic
Boling Padang: Farah Ain muncul juara dunia!
Farah pamer aksi luar biasa dalam penampilan sulungnya di pentas bertaraf dunia dengan kemenangan straight sets 6-2 dan 6-3.
Sultan Nazrin, Tuanku Zara hadiri majlis Aidilfitri PDRM Perak
Sultan dan Raja Permaisuri Perak berkenan berangkat menghadiri Majlis Sambutan Aidilfitri PDRM Kontinjen Perak 2024.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Kebajikan, pendidikan anak-anak wira dipastikan tidak terabai - Menteri
Kementerian Pendidikan lakukan susur tindak bagi memastikan kebajikan 10 orang anak mangsa nahas helikopter dijaga sehingga tamat persekolahan kelak.
Bintang TikTok Iraq, Umm Fahad ditembak mati di luar rumah
Pihak berkuasa Iraq umum penubuhan "jawatankuasa siasatan khas- untuk menjejaki pembunuh yang tidak dikenali itu.
PM Anwar tiba di Riyadh untuk hadiri Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Sedunia
Perdana Menteri Anwar tiba di Riyadh dalam rangka lawatan tiga hari bagi menghadiri Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Sedunia (WEF).
Jemputan peribadi ke Mesyuarat Khas WEF bukti keakraban Putera Mahkota Mohammed, PM
Ini merupakan lawatan keempat Anwar ke Arab Saudi sejak dilantik sebagai Perdana Menteri.
Kerajaan Pusat peruntuk RM1.59 bilion untuk pembangunan fizikal di Terengganu
Peruntukan tersebut melibatkan 99 projek baharu dan 296 projek sambungan di bawah Rolling Plan 4 (RP4) Rancangan Malaysia ke-12 (RMK12).
Pahang rancang wujudkan zon perindustrian di setiap daerah
Kerajaan Pahang rancang wujudkan zon perindustrian di kesemua 11 daerah di negeri ini bagi menggalakkan kemasukan lebih banyak pelaburan asing khususnya dari China.
Kertas kabinet wujud sektor sukan dibentang dalam tempoh sebulan - Hannah
Hannah berkata dengan data yang lebih menyeluruh melibatkan sektor industri sukan nanti, pihaknya akan mampu merangsang pertumbuhan sukan di negara ini dengan lebih baik.
Tiga Syarikat Semikonduktor umum melabur di Pulau Pinang - Kon Yeow
Tiga syarikat semikonduktor dari China menyatakan komitmen untuk membuat pelaburan baharu di Pulau Pinang.
Biden rancang untuk berdebat dengan Trump
Sebelum ini, Biden tidak komited untuk berdebat dengan lawannya, Trump.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
7 juri dipilih dalam bicara kes wang sogok yang dihadapi Trump
Tujuh juri dipilih dalam perbicaraan kes wang sogok Donald Trump di New York, perbicaraan jenayah pertama terhadap bekas presiden Amerika Syarikat.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan skandal Donald Trump - bintang porno bermula
Donald Trump menjadi bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat pertama yang menghadapi perbicaraan kes jenayah.
Bicara kes bayaran tutup mulut yang dihadapi Trump bermula dengan pemilihan juri
Donald Trump akan menjadi bekas presiden pertama dalam sejarah Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang dibicarakan atas tuduhan jenayah.
Trump gagal tangguh, perbicaraan tetap berlangsung 15 April ini
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.
Biden menang pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara
Dalam pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara, terdapat 13 perwakilan ditawarkan dan kebanyakan pengundian dilakukan melalui undi pos.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan Donald Trump bermula 15 April
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.