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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump-proof aspects of Manafort deal rankle lawyers
Robert Mueller seems to have built in safeguards to discourage the president from pardoning Manafort.
By JOSH GERSTEIN 09/18/2018 12:13 AM EDT
Special counsel Robert Muellers Friday plea agreement with Paul Manafort took unusual and possibly unprecedented steps to undercut President Donald Trumps ability to pardon his former campaign chairman.
The plea deal Mueller struck with the former Trump campaign chairman contains several provisions that appear intended to discourage the former Trump aide both from seeking a pardon and to rein in the impact of any pardon Trump might grant.
Legal experts with sweeping views of executive power and attorneys who advocate for broad use of clemency criticized what they call an effort by Muellers team to tie the presidents hands.
What is most concerning to me is that Mr. Mueller, who is a part of the executive branch and is supposed to follow all of DOJs policies and procedures, is specifically seeking to impede the ability of the president to exercise his constitutional pardon authority, said David Rivkin, a Justice Department official under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/18/manafort-deal-pardon-mueller-trump-827898
Girard442
(6,087 posts)It's about damn time!
Pachamama
(16,887 posts)Even one of the biggest Trump Humping Lawyers defending Trump (Alan Derschowitz) says in reference to Mueller's team and this plea agreement:
"Theyve gone about as far as they can go without getting up to the red line," he said. "But I dont think theyve crossed any red line."
SimpleC
(279 posts)The spirit of the Presidential pardon was supposed to give the President the power to pardon those that might have been unjustly convicted or given an extremely harsh sentence.
That was probably the intention of it.
trump has shown that congress may have to revisit that little caveat of Presidential power as he has shown he will abuse it and use it like spoiled child would.
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)He should have died in prison.
SimpleC
(279 posts)I think that's enough time... by no stretch of the imagination would I consider that an abusive use of Presidential Pardon...
29 years in prison is a great deal of time...
I'm sure Jimmy Carter did it for humanitarian reasons and not to bail one of his cronies or white supremist buddies out of prison...
That example is way off ...
White House Police officer Private Leslie Coffelt, wounding of another security guard, and of course the attempted assassination of the President.
Stinky The Clown
(67,833 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
MaryMagdaline
(6,858 posts)Screw them. Muellers trying to save democracy.
babylonsister
(171,104 posts)SWBTATTReg
(22,188 posts)There are some that say no, that this is not true, but I disagree. When the founders split the government into 3 branches, they did so for many reasons, one of which was to limit power among the branches (and the subsequent abuses that follow, when there is unlimited power). They were looking at King George of Britain in particular when they did this, among other things that they looked at. Wise indeed.
I simply can't believe that the founders intended such abuse of presidential powers to occur (rump and his expected use of executive power). The imposition of tariffs I feel is an power that the so called president feels like he has, because there is a national security issue. The unilateral declaration of a 'national emergency' by this so called president all by himself is further proof of rumps' single mindedness to circumvent the rule of law, as it applies to him, when he breaks the law. Period.
Mueller did the right thing, rigging (and the defendant agree to the terms too) the terms of the sentencing in such a way to prevent rump, an unindicted conspirator, from further abusing executive power (using it in such a way never intended).