How Trump Hijacked the Pardon Power
From January 6 rioters to white-collar donors, clemency has become a political weapon
When America’s Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia in 1787, they understood that a justice system, even a democratic one, would need a mechanism for mercy. Drawing from English legal traditions, they enshrined the pardon power in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, granting the president authority to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses agai…
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