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Shortly before the end of the term, the president of the United States, Donald Trump (74), was accused of bribery. The US judiciary is investigating a case in which Trump allegedly received bribes to obtain a pardon. It is not known who it is.
America’s presidential pardons are commonplace. Under the constitution, the president has the power to grant “suspensions and pardons” for crimes at the federal level, but not at the US state level. In the 20th century alone, presidents issued around 20,000 pardons or softened sentences.
Bribe for forgiveness? The US judiciary investigates a possible Trump intrigue(01:05)
Famous examples
Virtually all presidents in American history have used this power when they see grave injustice or to overcome political divisions. Some spectacular cases of pardons:
Soldiers and evaders from military service
In the 19th century, President Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) granted flat-rate pardons to soldiers who fought for the defeated Confederate Army in the American Civil War (1861–1865). With this step he wanted to restore national unity as soon as possible. In 1977, when he took office, President Jimmy Carter (96) granted amnesty to hundreds of thousands who had evaded service during the Vietnam War.
Richard Nixon, President of the United States
In 1974, President Gerald Ford (1913-2006) pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon (1913-1994), who had resigned under pressure, for his federal crimes, that he “has committed or may have committed or in which he may have been involved”. The reason: the nation is too polarized and has to put behind the Watergate scandal of the blatant abuse of power in the Nixon era. Ford’s decision was heavily criticized.
Marc Rich, billionaire
Commodity trader Marc Rich (1934-2013), who last lived in Lucerne, was long considered one of the most wanted people by the FBI. Rich was charged with tax evasion, false statements, trafficking with Iran and corrupt organizations in the United States in 1983. Then-prosecutor Rudy Giuliani (76), who later became mayor of New York and is now an adviser to Trump, wanted put him behind bars for 300 years. With generous donations, Rich made good friends in Switzerland, Israel, and other countries. Bill Clinton (74) pardoned him in 2001, possibly among other reasons for the large donations to the Clinton Foundation and the Democratic Party.
Roger Clinton, Brother President
President Bill Clinton’s half brother has been jailed multiple times for smuggling and possessing cocaine. Just days before the end of his term, Bill Clinton pardoned the actor and musician, who is now 64 years old.
Oscar Collazo, presidential assassin
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) survived an assassination attempt in which Oscar Collazo (1914-1994) tried to shoot him. The accomplice died in the shooting, the perpetrator survived and was sentenced to death. Truman eased the life sentence and President Jimmy Carter finally pardoned Collazo in 1979.
Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, whistleblower
Private Manning (32) had delivered more than 800,000 secret military and foreign ministry documents to the Wikileaks disclosure platform and was sentenced to 35 years in prison for them. Barack Obama (59) reduced the sentence to just under seven years. After her conviction in 2013, Manning declared that she was born a woman and has since appeared as Chelsea Manning.
Two turkeys
It is a tradition that the President of the United States forgives two turkeys every Thanksgiving so they don’t end up in the oven. Presumably this tradition dates back to the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Trump also got in on the fun after being ousted from office this year.
Reluctant Trump
Compared to his predecessor Barack Obama, who issued a total of 212 pardons and reduced the sentence by 1,715 cases, Donald Trump has so far been more cautious: Trump has only lifted or reduced a sentence 44 times.
But it could catch up: According to the New York Times, a Trump team is working hard to review the penal code so that hundreds of criminals, including traffickers and con artists, can be pardoned.
Is Trump Forgiving Himself?
Last week, Trump pardoned his former National Security adviser Michael Flynn (61), exposing himself to abuse of power. Retired General Flynn became embroiled in the issue of Russian influence during the 2016 US presidential election.
It also means that Trump may even want to forgive himself to avoid charges of fraud and rape. Since he cannot execute his own pardon himself, he could use a trick: resign prematurely and leave the presidency to his vice president Mike Pence during the last days so that he can issue the pardon.
