The Power to Pardon
President Trump has pardoned sheriff Joe Arpaio for being guilty of being in criminal contempt of court. The Constitution may give the President the power to pardon criminals but it is not without limits.
President for may have stretched the power to pardon when he pardoned Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate cover up but his reasoning was understandable. Nixon resigned instead of facing impeachment and atrial in the Senate. It seemed like a plea bargain back then. President Ford paid a political price for his action.
Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.
In the case of Joe Arpaio it might have been better for the sheriff to have let the legal system follow its course. The criminal contempt case should have been appealed before the pardon was given.
The timing of the pardon smacks of politics and in my opinion and while sending a 85 year old to jail might merit a pardon for mercy's sake, there has been a process that has been in place for a while and it should not be ignored to score points.
President for may have stretched the power to pardon when he pardoned Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate cover up but his reasoning was understandable. Nixon resigned instead of facing impeachment and atrial in the Senate. It seemed like a plea bargain back then. President Ford paid a political price for his action.
Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.
In the case of Joe Arpaio it might have been better for the sheriff to have let the legal system follow its course. The criminal contempt case should have been appealed before the pardon was given.
The timing of the pardon smacks of politics and in my opinion and while sending a 85 year old to jail might merit a pardon for mercy's sake, there has been a process that has been in place for a while and it should not be ignored to score points.
Comments
Post a Comment