Trump pardoning himself makes as much sense as Rudy Giuliani
Jun 5, 2018, 7:21 AM
Rudy Giuliani, an attorney for President Donald Trump, speaks in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Of the numberless legal arguments now billowing around the Mueller investigation, Trump’s is by far the most fascinating.
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The president tweeted that while he has no plans to pardon himself, he could if he wanted to.
The concept of pardoning one’s self seems outrageous when you first hear it. I find it strangely intoxicating, and so does the internet. We are surrounded by preachers, philosophers, and Ted Talkers, telling us to forgive ourselves! They say to leave the guilt behind.
I realize there is a fundamental legal principle that you can’t be the judge in your own case. And yet, who can you judge if not yourself? We do it all the time. Sometimes we can be our own worst critics.
In the president’s case, because he supervises the justice department, he is in essence responsible for investigating himself. Having now concluded that his investigation has been unfair to himself, what better way to punish himself for allowing it than to pardon himself as the innocent victim of his own witch hunt.
Hey, it makes as much sense as anything Rudy Giuliani’s been saying.
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