You Can't Pardon America's Way Out of Trump's Assault on Rule of Law www.emptywheel.net/2024/12/06/y... - ThreadSky

emptywheel.bsky.social • 87 days ago

You Can't Pardon America's Way Out of Trump's Assault on Rule of Law

https://www.emptywheel.net/2024/12/06/you-cant-pardon-americas-way-out-of-trumps-assault-on-rule-of-law/

Comments

follicular.bsky.social•87 days ago

the piece spells out why this is such a bad idea: pardons for these people being targeted-- defenders of the rule of law against Trump-- is admitting that they DID SOMETHING WRONG WHEN THEY WERE RIGHT. Pardoning them buys into Trump's logic that these people acted extra-legally when they didn't.

realchrispeterson.bsky.social•85 days ago

Oh okay. Let them be subjected to years of lawfare meant to harass them then. I'm sure the high road will be a great comfort to them.

follicular.bsky.social•85 days ago

Well it should be up to them whether they want a pardon or not

realchrispeterson.bsky.social•85 days ago

I agree, but I'm not the one arguing pardons should not be offered.

emptywheel.bsky.social•85 days ago

Actually what I say is that, given these people didn't break the law anyway, it'll be child's play to invent some new reason to go after them.

It literally does no good. Not at all.

follicular.bsky.social•85 days ago

I’d like to think our justice system would keep truly innocent people from getting convicted but of course it depends on how much money they have for lawyers

erictjohnson.bsky.social•86 days ago

Republicans don't want to pursue matters on Matt Gaetz because he's a private citizen but they'll continue harassing Hunter Biden

itek-mark.bsky.social•87 days ago

This is true. It's not a solution to the problem. But it's a damn reasonable and necessary first response in order to mitigate the harm and buy time for a more permanent fix.

rockerdoc.bsky.social•86 days ago

Whack a mole - more like whack-an-Echidna.

manhasnoname.bsky.social•86 days ago

I have to admit, a blanket pardon for the next few years sounds like a lot of fun.

navlaw.bsky.social•86 days ago

True. But every journey begins with the first steps.

penguinantics.bsky.social•87 days ago

I disagree. I doubt anyone thinks this is going to be any kind of long term fix, but it might make the persecutions to come more cumbersome, and it’s better than doing nothing which is the most likely alternative.

peacejunky.bsky.social•87 days ago

the pardon needs defining. should ONLY apply in case of miscarriage of justice. i suspect that was the original intent; else what is being pardoned? this definition would also remove preemptive pardons from the lexicon, and from the GOOJF options all those J6 criminals grasped at. & no nixon pardon!

transitionstate.bsky.social•87 days ago

I think even if the pardons work to end legal harassment it's not really adequate. Tony Fauci, for example, has bodyguards now who protect him from an army of random kooks, because he gets death threats. If you could immunize him from prosecution, Trump could still withdraw that protection.

warnercrocker.bsky.social•87 days ago

Exactly

melindameyer.bsky.social•87 days ago

Sure couldn't hurt. Biden should pardon anyone who was threatened. Or a blanket pardon for everyone. 😅

emptywheel.bsky.social•87 days ago

Sure it could hurt. it could make lazy commentators think they found an easy out, leading them to look away.

Like they did the last time and the time before that.

davec3.bsky.social•86 days ago

Sure they can hurt. The pardon / commutaion Biden should do is commute all pending federal death sentances. These are vulnerable people with no power & not enough allies

melindameyer.bsky.social•86 days ago

Pardon everybody

davec3.bsky.social•86 days ago

Read @emptywheel.bsky.social piece. Also she doesn't talk about the opportunity cost of doing these pardons. Its potentially an endless project. What Biden really should do is commute all federal death penalty sentences. Its the right thing to do, Not the least since 45 is a gleeful executioner

emptywheel.bsky.social•86 days ago

Said that on @nicolesandler.bsky.social's show just now.

davec3.bsky.social•86 days ago

I’ve neer caught you / it live, but I never miss you on the @nicolesandler.bsky.social show

nicolesandler.bsky.social•86 days ago

Today's show goes live at 5ET!

davec3.bsky.social•86 days ago

Thx, sadly commuting federal death sentences has hardly gotten any traction. Credit @radleybalko.bsky.social for the idea (at least that’s where I heard it). That also points out these these other potential pardons distract from everything else the Administration might do before Jan 20

emptywheel.bsky.social•86 days ago

i think there are actual lobbyists who've been pushing the idea. Seems like a no-brainer.

melindameyer.bsky.social•87 days ago

Pardons work. So well, in fact that criminals are now expunged from their convictions and are being picked to run our government. That's never happened before.

peacejunky.bsky.social•87 days ago

melindameyer.bsky.social•87 days ago

After Donald, there are no rules when it comes to pardons. And the Supreme Court ruled Biden can do anything. He's got immunity now from any and all official acts.

peacejunky.bsky.social•86 days ago

there are rules, djt just won't abide by them; does not mean we have to then capitulate to djt's rules! and SCOTUS did not rule biden or djt can do anything! what they did do was alert us that they'll try to craft a ruling according to what they want, not to the constitution. let's tie 'em in knots!

wafglobal.bsky.social•87 days ago

I agree 100% with your article. The Rapist needs this all to be a game board, his game board, that we play on.

This is not a game. This is not a virtualized reality.

There are real principles to fight for, principles that define our nation and our laws.

Thanks for writing this.

bigbeaks.com•87 days ago

I'm mixed on this. I don't disagree with the premise, but it does feel a little like volunteering the known targets to be martyrs. Political figures like Cheney and Schiff probably would be okay with that, but at least trying to protect people like Fauci and Vindman seems justifiable.

idontthinksomate.bsky.social•87 days ago

Agree that a blanket pardon won’t accomplish anything except highlight the target already on their backs. GOP is already saying they’ll continue to investigate Hunter despite the pardon he has been granted. They don’t care about the rule of law so what makes anyone think they will honor the pardon?

innoonewetrust.bsky.social•86 days ago

So what is to be done then? sincerely asking saying this is bad is fine but doing nothing is a billion times worse

idontthinksomate.bsky.social•86 days ago

In my view this is corrupting the original purpose for the pardon power. I’ll be the first to admit that while I disagree with the proposed action, I don’t know that I have an answer to what should be done instead. Am I naive? No. Trump will be vengeful. Maybe someone smarter than I am has an answer

mkinva.bsky.social•87 days ago

We have to use every single weapon at hand to fight this guy. We need to stretch the law just as they are. The US Supreme Court created absolute unlimited immunity for the president for God’s sake.

expatsy.bsky.social•86 days ago

But we can slow him down a bit maybe, right?

click333.bsky.social•87 days ago

I will post this again for the umpteenth time:
You can't stop Marcy Wheeler. You can only hope to contain Marcy Wheeler.

tade2black35.bsky.social•87 days ago

the rule of law is not a partisan concept, and it's unfortunate to politicize it. the actions of the previous administration were a threat to democracy, and it's crucial to hold them accountable.

follicular.bsky.social•87 days ago

I assume when you say the "previous administration", you mean the Trump administration?

Because in no way shape or form were the prosecutions of Trump political.

skiskinnyskis.bsky.social•87 days ago

Exactly, which is why Garland's failures were so damaging.

churchlady320.bsky.social•86 days ago

That is not the issue. The issue is protecting known targets from political/legal harassment. Don't conflate the two. The day we stop caring about individuals that are targets in preference for ONLY pursuing the Big Picture, is the day we lose our thirst for democracy, become heartless, gutless.

gideonneptune.bsky.social•86 days ago

ecjack.bsky.social•84 days ago

Nice piece.

We,re not in a good place.🌍

ronhetx96f2.bsky.social•87 days ago

I disagree. Pardons are a constitutional power, and if used appropriately, can be a vital tool in promoting justice and fairness. The Constitution doesn't mention "America's way out" of anything.

thunderboltgo.bsky.social•87 days ago

Thank you. I didn’t see the point of pardons when the receiver hasn’t been convicted, and I don’t see how pardons protect anyone from a lawless administration.

budthebirdman.bsky.social•86 days ago

Enforce the law. Arrest them.
Stop protecting the DC Pipe-bomber.

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