SCOTT LUDWIG: The sin of unpardonable pardoning

Under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president has “the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”

Putting it another way, it means the recipient has been forgiven by the president because he recognizes they’ve taken responsibility for their crime(s). A pardon does not, however, signify innocence. Which is probably a good thing, all things considered. Considering what, exactly?

For starters, there were the 1,600 (ballpark) pardons for those participating in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6. As Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis so succinctly put it in their collaborative literary effort, “Injustice,” that meant pardons for every single rioter.

Those convicted of ramming police with flagpoles and fire extinguishers. Those who sprayed officers’ faces with bear spray and aerosol grease. Those who crushed police in door frames and smashed their knuckles. Those who dragged, disarmed, and knocked officers unconscious.

Trump ordered every one of them set free. Even the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to roughly two decades each in prison, were let go.’

So there you have it. As far as pardons from Donald Trump goes, innocence isn’t required. Neither is that part about “accepting responsibility,” apparently. Just take a look at what some of those 1,600 pardoned have been up to since getting a “get out of jail free” card from Trump. (Note: All of these are “ripped from the headlines”):

— One has been arrested on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault;
— One has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries;
— One was arrested on animal attack charges after his dogs sent four people to the
hospital;
— One was convicted of receiving child pornography;.
— One was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to kill FBI special agents who investigated him;
— One was arrested for home invasion;
— One pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor;
— One received a 10-year sentence for killing someone while driving under the influence;
— One was arrested for a string of thefts of industrial copper wire;
— One was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy while resisting arrest during a traffic stop.

What’s that phrase Trump says every once in a while? “The best of the best.” Go ahead; tell another lie. Trump’s latest round of pardon-palooza tallied another 77, all who conspired to keep him in office after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. The list includes John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Cheseboro, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and every single one of the fake electors from various states.

This is how White House Press Secretary (and Mistress of Propaganda) Karoline Leavitt
explained these latest pardons: “These great Americans were persecuted and put through hell by the Biden administration for challenging an election, which is the cornerstone of democracy.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that what those 1,600 people were doing on Jan. 6, only using weapons rather than words?

Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors, has allegedly reached out to Trump for a pardon. Trump says he is going to consult with the Department of Justice on the matter before making a decision.

That being said, it’s likely just a matter of time before a convicted sex trafficker gets a pardon and is back on the streets. And if that happens, don’t be at all surprised if Jeffrey Epstein gets a pardon as well.

Posthumously, of course.