Originally Posted: November 26, 2018
Jeffrey Engel, Director of the Center for Presidential History and Department of History professor, joined POLITICO’s Nerdcast to talk about the history of presidential pardons–and perhaps their implication for today.
This week on POLITICO’s Nerdcast we’re taking a break from our usual routine to take a look at presidential pardons.
Pardons are one of the most absolute powers a president has — they can really just say the word, and criminal convictions are wiped out. A lot more than just saying the word goes into presidential pardons — usually. But things have been different under the current administration. Straying from the decorum of the past is part of the reason Trump’s pardons have gotten so much attention.
Not to mention the ongoing Mueller investigation.
In this episode, President Trump’s use of the pardon power is put into context — both in history and in terms of how Trump’s unorthodox use of pardons has taken on this big looming role in the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in American politics, which has focused in on Trump and some people close to him. LISTEN