Trump Pardoning Arpaio Should Raise Serious Alarms For The Russia Investigation

[CousinIT]

. . . By demonstrating his willingness to issue pardons without bothering with the trouble of bureaucratic due diligence or concerns about political backlash, President Trump has sent out a subtle and implicit message to Flynn and Manafort: hang tight, I have your back. He undoubtedly is attempting to forestall either of the two men (or their subordinates) from cooperating with Mueller beyond what’s legally required, with the unspoken reassurance hanging over the investigation that the President can wipe their criminal slates clean if Mueller gets too close.

In an “ordinary” presidency, predicting such brazen contempt for the legal process by a president in order to limit his own legal exposure would be viewed with understandable skepticism. Say what you will about Bill Clinton’s eye-raising pardon of Marc Rich, or George W. Bush’s commutation of the sentence of Scooter Libby, but at least those decisions did not implicate efforts to protect the presidents themselves from legal trouble.

The same could not be said for the current occupant of the Oval Office. The pardon power of the presidency is absolute, and President Trump is making clear his willingness to use it in unconventional circumstances as he sees fit. With the threat of conviction in a theoretical impeachment proceeding still politically unlikely, we are all in store for a historical case study in how well our constitutional republic can accommodate the methods of someone like President Trump.

One can only hope we all live to tell about it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pardoning-arpaio-was-about-more-than-saving-a-political_us_59a0f03be4b0d0ef9f1c1401

[SHRED]

1. They may have flipped already

We don't know.

[delisen]

2. Pres George HW Bush pardoned Iran-Contra and saved himself

from investigation and prosecution.

He pardoned Casper Weinberger, former Secy of Defense, over Christmas holiday and just days before Weinberger's trial was to begin.

The special prosecutor was livid--but his investigation was eviserated, as he lost all leverage for getting testimony against Bush.

Trump is not "going rogue." He is being a Republican power player. To them the Constitution is merely a tool to be used to meet the aims of a few, not a basis for the of law.

It is no coincidence that so many Republicans in power positions love Ayn Rand's version of the Ubermensch--the man above the law.

[cilla4progress]

3. If accurate,

then this means NYAG Schneiderman will have a big role to play in getting convictions.

Surly all this strategizing is what is taking so much time on Mueller's end.

[delisen]

4. I hope so.