Monday, 11 June 2018

Can a President Pardon Themselves?


No.

A president claiming they can pardon themselves isn’t really feasible. Sure, a president can pardon anyone but this cannot extend to their own persons.

Someone can only be pardoned once they’ve been convicted (otherwise there’s nothing to pardon).

Now, a president (who is both head of state and head of government) can’t be convicted of a crime whilst in office.

Thus the only way for a president to be convicted is for them to be removed from office first (usually by impeachment).

If a president has been removed from office, they no longer have the power to pardon anyone, let alone themselves.


NOTE: This clearly doesn't apply to crimes a president committed before they were in office.

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