Opinions
The Curse Of Pardoning Presidents
The power of a president to issue pardons is derived from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution: which stipulates: The president shall have power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment. Yet a president has unmitigated power to issue three distinct types of pardons: amnesty, commutation, and reprieve. Pardoning Nixon literally cast an abominable curse on future presidents not held accountable for their crimes. […]