Article II, Section 2.1 of the Constitution clearly says that “The President shall… have the Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” The rest of the Constitution, however, is full of things like checks and balances, and limits on power. One of the Framers’ primary concerns was that the presidency not resemble a monarchy, and that our elected officials remain accountable to the people. The Antifederalists in particular, fought to ensure that an aristocracy did not develop where an elite class governed people that they no longer resembled.
It is the Founding Fathers efforts that make Trump’s abuse of the power to pardon so offensive. It is clear throughout the Constitution that elected officials were not supposed to personally benefit from the powers of their office. At points in the drafting of the Constitution, it was proposed that a President not be paid to dissuade such abuses of power.
Even worse, the Trump continues to pretend that Russia has no hand in what is going on in our country. Many of the people that he (Trump) is or has pardoned have confirmed, direct ties to Russia. To now have Flynn calling for Martial Law in America, could not be less American. These actions are right in line with Russia’s stated goals to undermine America’s standing in the world, and Americans’ confidence in our institutions.
We should all be offended. The Trump is an embarrassment to the office he holds, he is doing favors for cronies as he lines up his next job. Electing someone of means was supposed to place that person above reproach. Unfortunately for us, when you mix ego and greed, as his niece points out, there is “Never Enough.” Putin chose his Agent well.
Reading Recommendations:
Coats, Daniel. Worldwide Threat Assessment 2019. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2019. https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR—SSCI.pdf.
Henry, Patrick. The Anti-Federalist Papers. Newburyport: Dover Publications, 2020.
Jay, John, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Alan M. Dershowitz. The Federalist Papers. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2019.
Ketcham, Ralph. The Anti-Federalist Papers; and The Constitutional Convention Debates. NY, NY: Signet Classics, 2003.
McCabe, Andrew G. Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump. Macmillan Audio, 2019.
Nance, Malcolm. The Plot to Destroy Democracy: How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West. Hachette Books, 2019.
Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate. Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election: Russia’s Use of Social Media, with Additional Views. 2019. https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf
Rid, Thomas. Active Measures: the Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020.
Sciutto, Jim. Shadow War: Inside Russia’s and China’s Secret Operations to Defeat America. Harper Collins, 2020.
Strzok, Peter. Compromised. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.
The Constitution of the United States of America. Washington: U.S. Govt. 1787. https://www.senate.gov/civics/resources/pdf/US_Constitution-Senate_Publication_103-21.pdf
Weisburd, Andrew, Clint Watts, and JM Berger. Trolling for Trump: How Russia is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy. 2016. https://warontherocks.com/2016/11/trolling-for-trump-how-russia-is-trying-to-destroy-our-democracy/
