Trump has been rarely seen in public these days. If you were worried that he was holed up in his bedroom sulking and bingeing on his comfort food of Big Macs and Diet Coke, you can rest easy. His public schedule says that he is hard at work though it is a little vague on details.
As has frequently been the case in recent weeks, Trump had no public engagements had his public schedule blithely stated that the president “will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings”.
I only hope Trump does not overwork himself in his last days in office. He should relax and take some time off to play golf.
Seth Meyers says that moving vans have been spotted arriving at the White House.
He might not look busy but there is a lot he will do.
.1. Burn down as much of the US government and the USA as he can.
.2. Leave some dead bodies behind. He is still executing people for no reason other than he can.
Five people died in the US Capitol attack 9 days ago.
And, 20,000 people will die of Covid-19 between now and the inauguration to make 4000,000 dead in the pandemic.
.3. Pardon all the GOP/right wingnut criminals.
The 200 Capitol attackers the FBI is looking for or already arrested, are all asking Trump to pardon them.
Then there are all the GOP crooks in and around his administration.
Finally, he might as well issue himself a blanket pardon.
raven:
Fittingly, the latest (and maybe last) one, Dustin Higgs probably is innocent of murder.
There is quite a difference between those who think Trump will pardon the Capitol building attackers/terrorists and those who think he can’t be bothered with losers who failed.
It turns out some of the US Capitol building attackers can count. To at least 5.
That is how many days they have left to be pardoned by Trump.
Expect a lot of whining, pleading, begging, and appeals to quid pro quo’s between now and January 20th. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are also a few bribes thrown in there somewhere.
According to the COVID dashboard I’m looking at, we already hit 400,000 today. I’m expecting 500,000 by early February.
Since he’s been impeached for inciting insurrection, can he actually pardon the people he incited? I know the pardon power is quite extensive but that seems like a clear abuse along the same way as self pardon.
@5, Without citing sources (apologies!), there seems to be serious argument about that; and indeed, whether or not hair furor can pardon anyone for anything whilst impeached. My (current) understanding is the wording of the Constitution is ambiguous, “[The President] … shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment” (Article II, Section 2).
@5, I’ve encountered the same arguments that blf has.
There is a fellow in the comments section of 538 who keeps posting an excerpt from The Federalist Papers which he claims supports the idea that the writers of the Constitution felt that an impeached President would lose his pardon power. The idea being that presidents who wish to become kings shouldn’t be able to pardon their supporters if Congress has found that the President was abusing his power. I’ve tried to follow his argument, but I’m not certain its as clear as he thinks it is. It would be interesting, however, if the originalist’s on the USSC chose to interpret it in that fashion because Hamilton wrote about it in the 1790’s. That would be a kick-in-the-pants for conservatives who like the idea that a president has almost unlimited power.
On the other hand, the Article II, Section 2 part of the Constitution which blf quoted is rather ambiguous and could mean that Presidents cannot pardon someone who was impeached. But retains their pardoning power even if they are personally impeached. We have an example of Clinton, who was impeached, who also pardoned people after his impeachment. However, I don’t know if Clinton’s pardons came after or during the Senate trial. Or if that matters.
Of course, with only four impeachments in US history, none of these arguments have been tested in the courts.
As for Trump issuing a general pardon for the insurgents, I can see him trying it but only in specific circumstances. I don’t think he will bother to pardon them just because they asked him to. However, if McConnell or Pence told he he shouldn’t pardon them, I can see him doing so out of the petty revenge he loves to take on anyone doesn’t show loyalty to him. I.e. those insurgents by themselves are still loyal but beneath his notice, there is nothing more they can offer him he already has their adulation. But Pence and McConnell, they were on his side and they backstabbed him, at least in his mind. Never mind that Pence and McConnell were following the law, they should have been more loyal to him than any law. So if they, or any of the other advisors who have shown disloyalty, tell him it would be bad for him to pardon the insurgents, he is more likely to do so. If McConnell and Pence don’t say anything, I doubt Trump will issue blanket pardons. That’s not really his style.
It is pretty clear that Trump cannot pardon himself for impeachment. There really is no way to read the Constitution in a manner to avoid that conclusion. That may put a damper on him pardoning others.
Good question.
I don’t know.
Probably.
Don’t forget that impeachment is just the indictment. Nothing happens to him until he is convicted by the Senate after trial, which isn’t going to happen soon.
Clinton was impeached once as was Trump. After their impeachments but not convictions, they just kept on going like it never happened. The consequences of being impeached turn out to be nothing.
When has abusing power ever stopped Trump?
He’s been doing it since he was elected and been in court for it and lost and kept on doing it. Trump always abuses power and it will never bother him.
raven@8- And the republicans in Congress let him get away with it, and his supporters don’t care. So much for the party of Law and Order….
Matt,
I think that’s rather understated. They enabled it.
There are people who definitely want the Hamberdler to be busy. The My Pillow guy visited yesterday and his notes on how it might be possible to still do sedition were briefly visible.
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/534564-mypillow-ceo-photographed-holding-notes-after-trump-meeting