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FACEBOOK DIALOG: Should Obama Pardon the Clintons?

David Brewster thumbnail icoDavid Brewster
Step 1, Hillary is elected. Step 2, Republican resistance goes crazy. Step 3, Obama pardons Hillary, as presidents have done in the past in the name of national amnesty. It would probably ruin Obama’s reputation, but it’s an interesting gambit to ponder.

Consider: “As he left office, George Washington pardoned the men who had led the Whiskey Rebellion, an armed revolt against the federal government’s power to tax. President Andrew Johnson also issued thousands of pardons to ex-Confederates after the Civil War. A more modern example is President Jimmy Carter’s grant of amnesty for draft-evasion during the Vietnam War. The rationale has been to move forward and not remain mired in retrospective criminal proceedings.

“That attitude is not alien to President Obama. In two instances he has exhibited it. He resisted pressure to prosecute Bush Administration officials for war crimes or human rights abuses stemming from torture, and he resisted pressure to prosecute bankers for any unlawful activity relating to the 2008 financial collapse. In neither case did Obama use the pardon power, but the result in both instances was an effective pardon in an effort to move on.”

Last week the AAUP released a position letter in support of what it called a democratized UW. I responded by poiniing out that n terms of faculty dmeocracy,, "pricate schools like the Ivies, Cal Tech, Stanford do a lot bettter job of avoiding corporate influenmce than srtate run schools like our own.

Stephen Schwartz  A pardon actually would do nothing to prevent the Repugnant Republicans from continuing their attack.

First it could not cover all parties.
Second a pardon does not exempt anyone, especially if they can no longer take the 5th, from being forced to testify to Congress.
Third, a presidential pardon does not block congressional impeachment.
 
I think Hillary is a lot different and tougher then Obama. Like him she will seek a bridge to the traditional Republicans . The  Rs are in desperate straights. Did you watch David From on Maher last night?  Frum was begging for the liberals to take some blame for Trump.  Hillary  will offer them a choice, collaborate with her or surrender the GOP to Trumpians.

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