Procedurally, does Congress have any influence at all over pardons? I thought that the president has completely discretion over them.
Terr_•1h ago
True, this is really about lobbying the Republican party in general with the hopes that it'll filter up to Trump.
So a better title might be:
‘The guy’s a piece of s--t’: SBF’s pardon push falls flat among Republican politicians
Simulacra•1h ago
None. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the President the power to grant “Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
mothballed•1h ago
Although congress can in effect commute his sentence by passing a bill that effectively reduces the sentence of anyone who just happened to be convicted of the exact same crime at the exact same moment as SBF.
They have done this more generally before by retroactively changing sentencing guidelines coupled with legislation for re-evaluation of sentences.
Terr_•37m ago
Reminds me of the Terri Schiavo controversy [0], and now what congress did feels like a rather quaint little scandal compared to the last couple years.
fhdkweig•1h ago
Terr_•1h ago
So a better title might be:
Simulacra•1h ago
mothballed•1h ago
They have done this more generally before by retroactively changing sentencing guidelines coupled with legislation for re-evaluation of sentences.
Terr_•37m ago
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Sunday_Compromise