pardons do not have to be made public at the time they are given. It never occurred to me that could be possible. What is to keep Trump from signing a piece of paper to, say, Giuliani that says he's pardoned long after he leaves office?

Given that it's possible I think it's likely that Jared, Jr, et al already have one.

Congress probably can't limit or overrule whom a president can pardon but they can probably say that it must be made public at the time it is made or it is invalid. Otherwise a corrupt president could hold pardon power over the head of a criminal for a lifetime.




[Post edited by 81_Hokie at 01/17/2021 09:29AM]