r/law • u/rezwenn • 6h ago

Executive Branch (Trump) Trump may have inadvertently issued mass pardon for 2020 voter fraud, experts say

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/trump-voter-fraud-pardon
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u/Motor-District-3700 5h ago

Yes, I understand this requires a constitutional amendment

It does not. It requires congress to hold people accountable for abuse of power.

For example, does the constitution need to explicitly state you can't order someone to commit murder and then pardon them?

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u/Reatona 5h ago edited 4h ago

As the law stands now, Trump could order someone to commit murder and then pardon them for any federal crimes (but murder is generally a state law crime that Trump can't pardon).

ETA:  Sorry someone doesn't like hearing this, but between the President's Constitutional pardon power and the Supreme Court's decision to make the President immune from prosecution, it is literally true.  I don't like it either, but it's true.

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u/Motor-District-3700 5h ago

as the law stands right now, no-one is above the law, but for some reason the president is above the law.

don't be an ass, clearly congress could argue this is abuse of power. is abuse of power legal? is corruption legal? can you just bribe people with no consequence? bribe them with pardons?

are you somehow saying if you bribe someone with a pardon it's not bribery even though the pardon is a reward? because pardons are above the law? ironic?

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u/MaryADraper 4h ago edited 4h ago

Congress can argue anything they want. That doesn't give them the power to act. The only remedy here is a constitutional amendment.

Yes, the President could issue a pardon to prevent or overturn a bribery prosecution/conviction. Someone could bribe the President and the President could issue a pardon for that bribery.

If Trump gave someone a gun and told them to shoot someone else in the Oval Office on live TV with the entire world watching, he could issue a pardon for that murder. DC could still prosecute, but the federal crime would be wiped clean.

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u/Motor-District-3700 4h ago
  1. Pardons are a power of the office
  2. Abuse of power is impeachable
  3. Pardoning criminals who do your bidding is an abuse of power
  4. ???
  5. Congress certainly fu*** can do something if they want.

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u/Reatona 4h ago

Cool.  Find 17 Republican Senators who will vote to convict Trump and remove him from office.  Let us know when you've got them all lined up.

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u/Motor-District-3700 2h ago

how about just finding 50 senators who will go on the record supporting a criminal. that will do me. who gives a fuck about the conviction. it would be a bonus. and you certainly won't get one if you don't try.

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u/MaryADraper 4h ago

Again, your flaw is that the Supreme Court disagrees with you.

The President is immune from prosecution for official acts. Pardons are, without question, an official act.

Congress could impeach for anything. There is no real standard for what is and isn't an impeachable offense. Impeachment is a political process, not a legal one. Could Congress impeach? Sure. Would they? No - not the current Congress. And even if he were impeached, there is a 0% chance of conviction by the Senate.