By Barbara Diamond, TOI
Most of what I have written over the past year regarding the recent US Presidential election has come to fruition. That having been said, I am not a political oracle, but simply a fascinated observer of the process. Reading between the lines of political behavior and actions is often more interesting and valid than taking it all at face value.
For some time, I have been making a prediction privately which I have been loath to put into print as it is just a bit provocative. Who would want that!?
As we watch President Obama implementing more Presidential commutations than any previous President, there are a few issues to consider. At the end of the day, one needs to look at those pardons and see if there is a pattern therein. As of December 19, 2016, “USA Today,” reported that Obama has issued 148 complete pardons during his presidency and has shortened the sentences of 1,176 people in prison including 395 serving life sentences. One must wonder how it is that the President had the time to study these cases in such detail that he could make this volume of determinations while still in charge of running the nation and working on the campaign trail to try to get Hillary Clinton elected to replace him. It may simply be his Christmas gift to humanity, to allow certain individuals to be “forgiven” by their generous leader. He may see it as being a “role model” to his children. Having a clear understanding that most of his “legacy” will be reversed in the four years to come, he appears to want to make the most of this opportunity to “do good.” Until he is finished with this process one will not be able to know if there are other agendas or patterns in his decisions as to whom he chose to assist and why.
There are two potential Presidential pardons which may define Mr.Obama at the end of the Day, should they occur. One is the sentence of Private -First -Class Bowe Bergdahl who Obama welcomed with open arms as a war hero, after having exchanged his life for that of five Taliban members being held in Guantanamo Bay. Testimony from his fellow soldiers exposed that Bergdahl had actually walked off his military post in Afghanastan and that he was a deserter who was protected rather than abused, by a Taliban aligned militia for five years. They clearly waited until the time was right to negotiate the exchange of Berghdal for five of their fighters. His court martial is scheduled for February of 2017 and he has applied to President Obama for a pardon before the trial is to begin. The military is up in arms at the suggestion that such actions should be forgiven and minimized. They see it as demoralizing for the American troops who served valiantly, and for the families of those who died in the process.
Still the most interesting pardon of all is waiting for the final days of the Obama Presidency. Of course that is the potential pardon of Hillary Clinton. Apparently the President does have the power to block punishment for her even though none has yet been meted out. The ongoing FBI investigations into her activities as Secretary of State could be brought to a dramatic halt if such a pardon was to be proclaimed. It is hard to envision Obama walking away from that option. It serves him in many directions. Most important of all is that further investigations of Hillary could lead directly back to Mr. Obama himself. Although she has been tough in blocking any discourse which might lead to the President, she had good reasons to do so. He promised to promote her campaign for President and she could not and did not risk damaging that agreement between them. Will her resolve continue once he is out of office? Might she divulge matters she has thus far stymied with multiple statements of “I don’t remember”? Might she reveal that her private email servers were put into place with the full knowledge of the White House? Could they have been at the request of those in power? Could the intent have been to have communications which would not be part of the government records for perpetuity? That would open up even further inquiries.
Lawyers are discussing whether a pardon for Hillary would be a pardon for the Clinton Foundation itself. That seems highly unlikely. Surely a non-profit organization has responsibilities under a different umbrella of regulations and laws than the actions of a top-level political appointee. Removing Mrs. Clinton’s personal legal liability for actions taken especially during her term of office as Secretary of State could be explained-away
as “protecting the National interest.” A better explanation would actually be “Protecting President Obama’s Interests.” They are definitely not one in the same.
In spite of both Hillary and Bill making repeated proclamations of how she has been proven innocent of all misdeeds, this is clearly not the case. Investigations are proceeding and at the moment it appears that more difficult days are on the horizon for her. President-elect Trump has stated that he is no longer interested in pursuing the issues against Mrs. Clinton, but the Congress and FBI are likely to feel differently.
It is actually hard to imagine President Obama not making a pre-emptive pardon for Mrs. Clinton his final executive order. He seriously needs to block any further investigations of Hillary’s email activity and what actually happened in Benghazi under his Presidency, as all roads could lead back to him. Having thrust Mrs. Clinton into the position of Secretary of State with no real power, she had no option but to clearly
advise the President and implement his decisions on all critical matters. Thus far Hillary has taken the hits, and has claimed that the buck stopped with her. In doing so, she blocked the investigations from moving up the chain of command. That might not continue to happen once the mantle of power has been handed over to the new President and she no longer has anything to gain by protecting her previous boss. The only guarantee that previously guarded secrets remain as such, would be to find a way to end the investigations, full stop. A Presidential pardon might provide the invisible shield required.
If in fact, Mr. Obama does not find a way to pardon Hillary, he opens himself up to multiple inquiries which were impossible when he was actually in office. It is hard to imagine that he would allow that possibility to remain open.
The Presidential Pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey brought a smile to my face and made me wonder if another “turkey” would be given a future lease on her life! Be patient and stay tuned. There is only one month to wait before the Executive privilege runs out of time. If that which I have written is “much ado about nothing” It will be a positive reflection on Mr. Obama. Leaving Mrs. Clinton vulnerable would imply that he has nothing to hide. Fascinating last days!
@ Edgar G.:
And Reality is no less bizarre and absurd than the plot of Ephraim Kishon’s 1969 spoof, Blaumilch Canal.
As I have mentioned before, this Ephraim Kishon classic has never been more timely, almost 60 years later. Reality is no less weird. Just think, Oslo, or the bizarre spectacle of Jews arguing against the U.S. moving its embassy to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem or the present lunacy with the Supreme Court and its abuse of the residents of Amona based on the law of the illegal Jordanian occupation or the sight of anti-Israeli Israeli actors and academics themselves being boycotted because they are Israeli and yet persisting in their suicidal craziness. Note the unintentional (how could it have been intentional in 1969) irony of the location of the final scene:
Blaumilch Canal (1969)
“Plot summary”
“Blaumilch is a lunatic with a digging compulsion who escapes from an insane asylum. Stealing a jackhammer, he proceeds to dig-up one of Tel Aviv’s busiest traffic arteries, at the junctions of Allenby, Ben Yendua and Pinsker Streets, in front of iconic Mugrabi Cinema.[2]
‘Rather than question his actions the police and city officials assume he is operating under the municipality’s orders, and aid him as much as they can. Complaints from local residents, whose lives become a living hell due to the noise and traffic jams, lead to infighting amongst city departments. To speed up the work, so that it would be completed before the upcoming municipal elections, the city sends armies of construction workers and heavy equipment to help the lone jackhammer-operator, turning a mere annoyance into a full-blown disaster.
Hauled before a police commissioner to explain why they attempted to sabotage municipal construction equipment, the residents give a vocal rendition of the noises they are subjected to daily until the commissioner himself yells for quiet.
By the time city officials realize they are destroying a street without any plans or goals in sight, it is too late: Allenby Street is connected with the Mediterranean Sea and a canal is created. The mayor then declares, in a flamboyant opening ceremony, that Tel Aviv has been turned into the Venice of the Middle East.
In an ironic twist Ziegler, a low-level municipal administrator, is the only one to realize that the ‘project’ was the work of a lunatic; he is laughed at and himself branded a lunatic. In the final scene Blaumilch is seen digging up Kings of Israel Square (today Rabin Square), which fronts the Tel Aviv Municipality building.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaumilch_Canal
Silly, you say? As silly as this?
“Israel planning to build $5 billion artificial island off Gaza with seaport, airport and hotels
Israel’s minister of intelligence and transportation said the project will reconnect Gaza with the rest of the world”
June 2016
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-planning-to-build-5-billion-artificial-island-off-gaza-with-seaport-airport-and-hotels-a7094066.html
@ Edgar G.:
Thank you so much. Mainly Viola, sometimes first or second violin. Yes, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, better known as directors today, but when I was growing up, I listened to these recordings and so knew to look for them. Youtube and sometimes others like Vimeo that had the Godfather spoof that I listened to on vinyl when it came out, are amazing. The stories are all true. The jokes are mine except where I give credit or say it’s a chestnut, meaning old classic. I gave up meat when I was 18 and have gone back and forth on seafood for the same reason. Horrifying. I have mentioned that I have a humor blog nobody ever visits from which I quoted this piece in which I applied what I call the Shylock Test by changing one or two words in a classic text Madlibs style to provoke empathy for animals, personified as cats here, since I am a cat person.
“Hath not a cat eyes? Hath not a cat paws, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a human is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you scratch us, do we not purr? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a cat wrong a human, what is his humility? Revenge. If a human wrong a cat, what should his sufferance be by human example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute—and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”
Shakespeare – Mercat of Venice
https://pinchinat.wordpress.com/
Real life is full of humor. Some comedians specialize in mining it. Robert Benchley, Ephraim Kishon, Will Rogers. Will Rogers used to get up in front of an audience and just flip through the day’s paper randomly and find humor in the articles as he came across them! Benchley wrote many books, and made short films, some of which are on youtube. A dvd of his films was re-issued a few years ago. I believe the original “Father of The Bride” was not the Spencer Tracy Elizabeth Taylor one or the Steve Martin remake but Benchley’s short in the 40s. Very funny. He’s wandering through the house as everybody prepares and wherever he goes he’s just in the way except for paying for everything.
http://www.ozy.com/performance/how-this-man-made-the-us-laugh/61404
Video and article if you scroll down
@ Sebastien Zorn:
xxx
Just two things…what instrument do you play… and is the “May” you mention at the bottom, by ny chance Elaine May…if so she was wonderful, a comic genius, I loved her. Even slight inflections and expressions gripped her audience, at least it did to me.
And that story about the $0.0 dunning is hilarious…where do you get them or can I assume that it’s actually true. I believe the story about the food, I hate even to mention the word.. and thinking about that,,,leads me to another tale…
On the way to and from school every day, from ages about 4 to 12, I had to pass a butcher shop of Chazar, hanging up on hooks like condemned men. I always crossed the road and held my breath because it was so abhorrent to me. Often I went a roundabout way, along the canal…. Conditioning I suppose, like Pavlov’s dogs….which, naturally leads me again to another tale…..
I saw a very old portion of poor film a few years ago, (I think Russian) showing a Pavlovian type experiment, but this time it was an amputated dog’s head, live, eating…… it was ………
@ Edgar G.:
I mentioned that the only time I ever encountered the horns garbage was in a Ukrainian Church in Long Island three or four years ago where I was playing in a string quartet. I quipped, “It’s times like this that fill me with a deep and abiding sense of gratitude that I don’t speak a word of Ukrainian!” Love their Pierogis though. Keep the Pierogis, dump the people. How’s that for a slogan, “Pierogis before People!” [How’s this for an anti-muslim slogan: “People Before Prophets!”]
[I’ve mentioned this before to somebody but apparently you didn’t read that post (or was it two or three?) or it didn’t sink in. Unless you enjoy frustration and re-inventing the wheel, you have to select all and copy your text to clipboard before you select “post.” Every third or fourth time you post, it will do the captcha dance and eat your post. Sometimes it will just eat your post without comment. Control A, Control C. Then Post, Apple has something similar. If it’s really long, it might be easier to do it in Word or the equivalent like Google Docs, say, and just copy and paste. You can spell check and edit more easily too and nothing will be lost.]
Many years ago, a guy I knew got a series of ever more threatening letters from the phone or gas company demanding that he pay the sum of $0.00 immediately, or else. Finally, when all else failed, he sent in a check for $0.00 and received a nice thankyou letter for his payment of $0.00.
Just this morning! I went to McDonalds for breakfast. I asked if they had any sales and the guy said no. Each branch is different. So, I ordered three egg McMuffins with Bacon but hold the meat for $3.59 a piece. Costs the same with or without meat. After finishing the meal and watching somebody else order, I realized they had a sale on for the egg McMuffin with Sausage which was 2 for $4. So, after eventually managing to explain to the manager that I had paid nearly double for an egg and cheese sandwich because I got the egg and cheese sandwich without bacon — which was not on sale — instead of the egg and cheese sandwich without sausage — which was, I got the discount. After buying another sandwich. It was 2 for 4 after all. But, he was nice and didn’t charge me for it. More tales of machines run amok.
Of course, you’ve always had machine like people and policies:
Five Easy Pieces Diner Scene
https://youtu.be/6wtfNE4z6a8
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065724/
Skit ‘Telephone’ Nichols and May
https://youtu.be/CidZon6Ga98
@ Sebastien Zorn:
xxx
I’ll try again…
Sebastien, I’ve forgotten most of what I had absorbed because my heart was not really in it. I wanted all the time to go into business, but in my day, one had to be a doctor, a solicitor or barrister, or even a (lowly) dentist. Nothing else would satisfy the future in-laws of the most desirable girls on the marriage market.
You have it wrong about the vampires, we do/did have them, but it’s the Leprechauns who fear them. We Jews loved them, they were machatonim, and provided us with the blood we use for making matzoh.We always got a special discount around Pesach time, all fully vetted, filtered, pasteurised and nicely bottled, marked “Kosher for Pesach”.
In actual fact, and I’ve mentioned this before, there was nobody more ignorant about Jews that the average Irish Catholic brought up in the iron grip of the Church -except maybe a Transylvanian peasant on Walpurgis Night, when it was common to hear the wings flapping around the eaves trying to get in…….and that’s only “maybe”…
I got this info directly from my old pal Bela Lugosi… “Billy” I called him.
They truly believed that Jews were born with little horns under their hair, little tails amputated at birth, and deformed feet resembling hooves. Straight out of their Ferbrente Catholic teaching. Absolutely Medieval. and almost right out of Joshua Trachtenberg’s definitive book I’ve mentioned so many times here….
“The Devil And The Jews..The Medieval Conception Of The Jew And It’s Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism..”. Also Solomon Zeitlin’s (1st of 3 Vol) “The Rise And Fall Of The Judean State..A Political Social And Religious History Of The Second Commonwealth..”
I recommend all to read them both. They should be available in libraries or perhaps on the internet. On moving to Israel I ordered a selected box of books from “The Jewish Publication Society”, which has many desirable items of Jewish interest. It was pure good fortune that I hit on those two.
Let’s hope this posts successfully. Mazaltov it did.
–
I just posted a response to Sebastien’s vampire post. I put the correct Captcha and posted. That bar appeared instructing me to back arrow and insert correct Captcha and post again.
I reversed and found my magnificent post had disappeared, probably the best work I’ve ever done, and unlikely to be repeated. This cursed system is just that- a cursed system. A destroyer of gems and unique missives.
And now I see that this insignificant few words has easily passed the barrier. Devastating, and I’m only half exaggerating.
I only graduated from the 301 hour advanced legal assistant course at the NY Paralegal Institute and passed the general legal knowledge exam to become a Notary Public in the ’80s. Not as much as you but combined with over 40 mixed graduate and undergraduate courses in History and Political Science with some famous published professors, enough to let me know when I need a lawyer’s advice. “He who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer.”
At least you don’t have vampires there. Vampires don’t like Gaelic.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
XXX
You need not have gone to all that unneccessary trouble. I got my information years ago already from the very same Chicago Law School Media information Bureau, which I checked because I’d just read an article which stated that Obama was NOT a professor. My language usage is very precise. Being “regarded” as a professor is not exactly the same as actually being one. For instance, his highest degree is his Law Degree a JD which lawyers get on graduation. He does NOT have a Ph.D.
A HUGE difference, although perhaps in America which slithers over matters of precision….But I come from a country and area where a Ph.D is mandatory to be called a professor even without tenure. I myself was a law student in my early years, for 4 years in fact although I failed in the “critical” subject…I failed in Gaelic, I couldn’t conduct a complete case in the nearly defunct language, so I went into business instead.
never enter a comment thread where comment #1 asks
That means my eyes are now glazed over.
My prediction is 1) A Bergdahl pardon – gets Obama nothing.
2) HRC pardon is possible, if her health really is as bad as it seemed.
3) based on what has happened in NC before the election, buckle your seat belts for the Soros investigation. Gov. McCrory has said Soros by name every time, especially about the BLM protest riots in Charlotte. Today, McCrory did not.
follow the money still works.
I agree with this article:
“OBAMA PLANS TO RULE AMERICA OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE
…and he might get away with it.”
November 25, 2016 Daniel Greenfield
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/264917/obama-plans-rule-america-outside-white-house-daniel-greenfield
Sebastien Zorn Said:
right
@ bernard ross:
which part is baloney? that he is or is not a Constitutional expert? If he is just a puppet he does not need to be, true.
“Edgar G. Said:
Obama was NOT a professor but a Senior lecturer,”
Bernard Ross said:
I heard the same… and that he knew nothing of the constitution… all baloney. His handlers dont need an expert, just a good puppet
Sebastien Zorn Said:
I do not seek brownie points and I dont underestimate my enemy. I dont beleive he is on my schedule at the next gladiatorial event I am attending.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
I do not see the relevance of the statement.. I did not say he was uninformed. Please point out to me a relevant section of his course materials to what I posted.
He has his Leftist bias but doesn’t seem uninformed. See his course materials below.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160405/hyde-park/could-you-have-passed-barack-obamas-law-class-at-u-of-c
You gain no brownie points for under-estimating your enemy.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
high demand career? I understood he was a community activist being groomed by alinsky and soros to a political path… which of course zoomed like a rocket to the presidency.
Colleges are full of crap lecturers who assign themselves accolades… just listen to the crap they produce. Happily Trump is not employing those types. Half of husseins agenda had to do with transvestites in bathrooms……. bringing his life experiences to fruition. A presidency chock full of trivial pursuits and red herrings
Edgar G. Said:
I heard the same… and that he knew nothing of the constitution… all baloney. His handlers dont need an expert, just a good puppet
He was a Professor. Lecturer means Adjunct Professor and
Senior Lecturer means full Professor without tenure at that school. It’s what they call a “term of art” in legal terminology.
“Media Inquiries
The University of Chicago Law School handles media requests through the University of Chicago News Office. The Law School is happy to work with the media to provide access to our faculty members, who are experts on myriad subjects, or to provide comment on news stories where appropriate. For all media inquiries, please contact the News Office at (773) 702-8360 or news@uchicago.edu.
Statement Regarding Barack Obama
The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as “Senior Lecturer.”
From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School’s Senior Lecturers has high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL
1111 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637
773.702.9494
Contact
Directions & Accessibility”
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media
“term of art
noun
a word or phrase that has a precise, specialized meaning within a particular field or profession.
“‘public domain’ is a term of art in copyright law and you shouldn’t throw it around if you don’t know what it means”
Translations, word origin, and more definitions”
@ <a href="#comment-63356000181236" title="Go to comment of this author”>Sebastien Zorn:
xxx
I have read in an explanation from The Chicago School of Law, that Obama was NOT a professor but a Senior lecturer, and it was customary to call such part time persons professor although not so, nor tenure seeking.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
I am not talking about undoing a pardon, I expect a pardon… but that should not impede any investigations. Now it is called a special counsel and has leeway to subpoena anyone and their investigations can be expanded to include other things that spin off. Trump should do this for the nation to uncover the rest of the mountain of crime and to get everyone else connected to it. I dont beleive their foundation can be exempt from investigations. they can be forced into incriminating themselves or investigations can expose facts which make them all liable to massive civil suits to bankrupt them. The people are owed the truth and compensation.
trump can start with opening an investigation into the hacks… all hacks. In this investigation all the info related to the emails, hacks of their emails etd….. all the FBI investigations will become open to perusal by Sessions and the FBI head chief. CIA etc will all be under Trump control…. they know they cannot hide it which is what is making them desperate now to create destabilization starting with the russian hacking and the fake news censorship to black out info over the next month I dont think they planned on being caught the bush folks and the estab gop would have covered up their crimes as they covered up the bush crimes…. trump is the spanner in the works and his non political military choices in those specific areas are bringing it home to them….they cannot control it without players in charge, of either party.
Apparently, exposure of the clinton foundation dealings would implicate high ups from both parties and possibly even cause huge problems with foreign nations.
A special prosecutor does not have special powers to undo a pardon. And the Marbury v. Madison scenario could only play out after the Senate voted to impeach. I don’t see what the military has to do with a legal process.
Sebastien Zorn Said:
I am not sure about that… whether her or anyone else he would likely need Sessions to appoint a special counsel and sessions himself has to be confirmed by senate. Special counsel must be outside the administration… rudy is outside the administration and likely the most famous prosecutor and investigator. Trump may be keeping it quiet so as to provide no justification to pardon her and then after sessions confirmed he could call back rudy on the basis of the dems calling for investigations of hacks and then widening it to include the rest as is allowable.
I have been rethinking Trumps appointments of military men.. it has been said that they are all aligned with rooting out the whole clinton foundation and cabal. Some beleive a soft coup is still in progress and that the appts signal Trumps strong hold on the gov and willingness to deal with the destabilization and riots planned for when investigations open. Military men in charge of all the security depts may be more a message to those connected to the soros clinton network. Remember all the riots they funded and caused in the election period…. they are likely threatening Trump with all this fake news business, afraid that he will open invesitgations and calling rudy back. Clintons backers have no shame to cause civil war… and the media and silicon valley have got behind their MO with the fake news canards. There is a set of formidable foes out to destroy the opponents of the leftist muslim alliance. Both clintons are totally in the pockets of the muslims and the dem party has fallen to the muslims… obama, clinton MB handler abedin followed by farakhan black muslim dem leader ellison…. hardly a coincidence in todays times. Saudi and GCC cash has been flooding out instituions for decades, corrupting colleges, ngo’s, political parties, government…. all our major institutions up to the presidency are corrupted and compromised by muslim money. It is said that the clinton foundation is completely driven by that cash.
@ bernard ross:
But not future crimes. If she gets pardoned, she can’t refuse to testify or lie under oath without committing a future crime not covered by any pardon. That would be a reason not to pardon her. On the other hand, if she is not pardoned, she could cut a deal in exchange for immunity or a lighter sentence. That would be a reason to pardon her. And if her trial takes the form of impeachment or if the trail leads to Obama himself, his pardon might be reversed because Presidential pardons do not extend to cases of impeachment – U.S. Constitution – Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1. I looked it up. That would make a pardon useless, and he would be damaging his legacy for nothing as well as generating suspicion.
http://constitutionus.com/
If it goes before the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court invalidates his pardon, it would be like Marbury v. Madison on steroids. In validating the decision of one the other two branches, it would be asserting and strengthening its role as arbiter that could be a precedent leading to the sort of Judicial tyranny we see in Israel today. It is entirely possible that Trump has considered all of this and that that is why he has chosen not to pursue prosecution. In much the same way, Nixon chose not to go the Al Gore route in 1960, not to challenge JFK’s fraudulent election, even though he would probably have won, because he didn’t want to damage the Presidency. Irony of Ironies. No Permanent Press History tonight, Charlie! It’s strictly irony, wash and wear, thank you very much!!
http://www.history.com/topics/marbury-v-madison
We could entitle this section: On Precedents, Presidents and Presidente [at the end of the day, a terrific, though sadly under-rated beer from the Dominican Republic.
I am reminded of the German WWI anti-war drinking song my late Marxist friend who Bannon reminded me of taught me:
Aus Himmel der ist kein bier
Da ist varus vie trinkt ier hier
Unce vann vie sie gehn fom hier
Unce Freunden trinkt alles da bier.
In Heaven there is no beer
That is that is why we drink it here
and when we are no longer here.
Our friends will drink up all the beer!
Sebastien Zorn Said:
yes, the pardons of some of the perps should not prevent the continuation of the investigations into their crimes even just to set the record straight BUT their crimes are intertwined with the crimes of others who should be continued to be pursued…. in which case, as you say, she might become forced to testify truthfully by having no recourse to the 5th or protection from perjury charges. However she could take the 5th regarding any crimes for which she is not pardoned… although I think she can be given a blanket pardon on all crimes.
If she is pardoned, she can’t claim immunity under the Fifth Amendment which would create a problem for Obama if she was following orders. She would be liable for obstruction of Justice if she refused to testify and perjury if she lied. If she is not pardoned, she could get immunity for testifying against him. If it was his responsibility, could his pardon be retro-actively nullified? I have been reading speculation about whether a President could self-pardon, but if that were the case why didn’t Nixon? And what about this passage from Federalist 68:
“The President … is to have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, EXCEPT IN CASES OF IMPEACHMENT …”
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed69.asp
Is this not in the Constitution somewhere? Was it not enacted? If not, would it go to the Supreme Court? Would they have to take the Federalist Papers into consideration? Have the Federalist papers ever been cited in a decision?
Wasn’t Obama a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago for ten years? Was it for this?
Star Trek – Liar Paradox
https://youtu.be/EzVxsYzXI_Y
Help!
Is there a lawyer in the House? Is there a lawyer in the house?
If so:
Hi, Counselor, How ‘ya enjoyin’ the show?