It's hysteria night on the left. President Trump issued a pardon to Joe Arpaio who was convicted of criminal contempt because he had the police in Maricopa County Arizona continue to determine the immigration status of those who were arrested despite a court order to halt the practice. The common refrain on the left tonight is that President Trump showed "contempt for the rule of law" with this action.
There really is a perfect one-word response to the uproar over the pardon. Here goes, "HUH?"
Let me explain. In the USA, the "rule of law" starts from the Constitution which supersedes all other statues, regulations and court rulings. In other words, following the Constitution is the ultimate respect for the "rule of law".
Here's an excerpt from Article II of the Constitution: "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." That's right, the President of the United States has the absolute power, for any reason he thinks appropriate, to grant a pardon for federal offenses except in cases of impeachment. That's exactly what President Trump did tonight. He followed the law. He did not breach the rule of law in any way. The hysteria that Trump did something wrong here is ridiculous, idiotic, and just plain wrong.
Remember, the only reason for the pardon power held by the president is to forgive the crimes or possible crimes of an individual. In other words, every pardon has the effect of keeping someone out of prison or other punishment. Arpaio is an 85 year old man who was the head of law enforcement in his county for almost 15 years. His supposed crime is not a felony but just a misdemeanor. There's no reason that the guy should have to continue to go through this legal mess, so Trump pardoned him.
Think about some other recent pardons. President Obama pardoned a Puerto Rican terrorist who bombed buildings in New York and killed multiple people in service of the cause of an independent Puerto Rico. None of the people upset with the Arpaio pardon said even one word in criticism of Obama pardoning a murderous terrorist. President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, an extremely wealthy man whose wife just happened to make enormous gifts to the Clintons right before her husband was pardoned for his role in massive swindles of thousands of Americans. Again, none of those upset tonight said anything about the Rich pardon.
There really is a perfect one-word response to the uproar over the pardon. Here goes, "HUH?"
Let me explain. In the USA, the "rule of law" starts from the Constitution which supersedes all other statues, regulations and court rulings. In other words, following the Constitution is the ultimate respect for the "rule of law".
Here's an excerpt from Article II of the Constitution: "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." That's right, the President of the United States has the absolute power, for any reason he thinks appropriate, to grant a pardon for federal offenses except in cases of impeachment. That's exactly what President Trump did tonight. He followed the law. He did not breach the rule of law in any way. The hysteria that Trump did something wrong here is ridiculous, idiotic, and just plain wrong.
Remember, the only reason for the pardon power held by the president is to forgive the crimes or possible crimes of an individual. In other words, every pardon has the effect of keeping someone out of prison or other punishment. Arpaio is an 85 year old man who was the head of law enforcement in his county for almost 15 years. His supposed crime is not a felony but just a misdemeanor. There's no reason that the guy should have to continue to go through this legal mess, so Trump pardoned him.
Think about some other recent pardons. President Obama pardoned a Puerto Rican terrorist who bombed buildings in New York and killed multiple people in service of the cause of an independent Puerto Rico. None of the people upset with the Arpaio pardon said even one word in criticism of Obama pardoning a murderous terrorist. President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, an extremely wealthy man whose wife just happened to make enormous gifts to the Clintons right before her husband was pardoned for his role in massive swindles of thousands of Americans. Again, none of those upset tonight said anything about the Rich pardon.
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