An outrageous pardon and a hollow Congress - Boston Globe Editorial

[DonViejo]

Outrageous presidential conduct has to be countered, and not just criticized, or it will become the new normal.

So congressional Republicans decrying President Trump’s Friday night pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio might as well save their breath. Unless they’re willing to do something about it — through censure or impeachment, legal challenge or constitutional amendment — the ritual GOP scolding after each Trump affront to the rule of law is increasingly hollow.

Presidents have issued controversial pardons before — Gerald Ford letting Richard Nixon off the hook for Watergate, George H.W. Bush pardoning Caspar Weinberger for his Iran-contra crimes, or Bill Clinton pardoning fugitive Marc Rich. But Trump’s reprieve for Arpaio appears to belong in a category by itself.

Arpaio never expressed remorse, and did not seek a pardon through normal Justice Department procedures. But those are minor quibbles compared to the grave constitutional implications of Trump’s action.

Arpaio, the longtime sheriff of Maricopa County known for his mistreatment of prisoners and harassment of immigrants, was awaiting sentencing on contempt charges, stemming from his refusal to obey a federal court’s order that he stop discriminating against Latinos. As constitutional law experts have argued, to pardon a law enforcement officer convicted of ignoring a federal court order undermines constitutional guarantees. If the president sends the message that court orders are unenforceable, he effectively nullifies them.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2017/08/27/outrageous-pardon-and-hollow-congress/L37FgXjfegbDYxmB4v0V6N/story.html

[joeybee12]

1. BIG knr

[Timmygoat]

2. Arpaio

Amazing the hatred of immigrants coming from the son of Italian immigrants.

[dalton99a]

3. +1

[Orrex]

4. Well, to be fair...

He mostly hates brown immigrants.

So, although he might be a sadistic asshole, at least he's a racist motherfucker, so there's that.

[Cosmocat]

8. ...

[lark]

5. That's exactly what drumpf is trying to accomplish with this.

His word and wishes are law, everything else he's totally willing to abrogate and wants to make dependent on him. He wants to destroy the judiciary, rule of law and congress and make them all subservient to him. This is all part of his HItleresque plan to destroy our constitutional form of government and make himself dictator. Putin would reward him handsomely for a greatly weakened country and that's what he wants.

[Eyeball_Kid]

6. And who couldn't see this coming 18 months ago?

The evidence was front and center. We watched it all in slow motion. But the media had it's treasure trove of ad money, and the Russians were pouring laundered money into the GOP campaigns like Harvey on Houston. Nothing was going to stop Trumpy because the people with the money wanted more, and knew that a Trumpy win would get them more. That's all that counted.

[brush]

7. He's letting Flynn and Manafort and Page and all of the colluders know that he has their back...

and to keep their mouths shut and he will pardon them also.

[bucolic_frolic]

9. What happened to the articles that mentioned

a series of DOJ hurdles to grant a pardon - a 5 year waiting period, an actual sentence from a court of law, a statement of contrition?

It almost sounded like some organization would sue to block this pardon at some point. Today there is not much noise.

[Amaryllis]

10. This is perfect:

" the ritual GOP scolding after each Trump affront to the rule of law is increasingly hollow. "