November 18, 2016
Poison Pardon
Timothy Birdnow
Writing at American Thinker today Dan Jones argues that Obama will not pardon Hillary but Trump ultimately will.
In a piece entitled "Hillary's Nightmares" Jones sets out a strong case that Barack Obama will not pardon Mrs. Clinton:
"President Obama will not pardon Hillary Clinton, in conformity with his oft-repeated insistence that she did not knowingly do anything wrong and that she certainly did not jeopardize national security, and hence she has done nothing that needs pardoning."
[...]
"A deeper reason for not pardoning her is: He’s mad as hell. He revealed some of his anger early in his first press conference after the election, when he pointed out that if you want to win Iowa, you’ve got to campaign in Iowa. This was a direct dig at Hillary. He thinks she blew it,"
[...]
"The greatest factor weighing against an Obama pardon, however, is what it would do to that for which he most dearly yearns: his legacy. It’s hard enough for Obama to insist, as he has frequently done, that the election was less a repudiation of his policies than a desire by some folks to "shake things up.†It’s harder still to admit that he appointed a miscreant to the office of Secretary of State who jeopardized national security under his watch and with his witless (i.e. email) participation"
End excerpts.
He's right on all particulars but he misses a couple of key points. First, Obama himself e-mailed Hillary at her private server, meaning he knew full well about the legal violation. Now he wants to keep the focus on Hillary, lest questions be asked about his knowledge and, frankly, his legal culpability. Obama is likewise open to charges here, and in a non-partisan investigation (sans Comey) there could well be legal trouble for him. It's doubtful, but it is possible.
Contrary to Mr. Jones' characterization, Obama had to know that what he was doing was a security breach. I don't think it can be characterized as "witless".
But more to the point; the Chicago people are not going to go away, and Hillary is not from that particular wing (even though she ultimately hails from the Windy City.) At this point there is no upside to saving Hillary or Bill, and Obama knows it. He wants them gone, not hanging around as competitors, and a long, agonizing investigation and perhaps prosecution serves the Chicago Way well. Without that the Clintons will be wounded but not out - and may try to assert Hillary's rightful claim as head of the Democratic Party, something Obama is not likely to tolerate. It's in his interest to keep the mill grinding Hillary's grist (sorry to talk about Hillary's grist so early in the morning.)
Jones thinks Trump will probably let the wheels turn and ultimately pardon Hill:
"I predict that President Trump will instruct his Justice Department to continue to vigorously investigate the machinations of the Clinton Foundation, and ultimately to issue a detailed Comey-like public statement on their findings. And then -- if the Clintons are found to have committed violations of law, and after the public has been advised of the extent and details of their lawbreaking -- President Trump will pardon them."
End excerpt.
I suspect that is the way this will play out, too, because there will be a lot of pressure from the Washington insiders to protect one of their own, and Trump, his hands very full and immersed in the cauldron of Washington political infighting, will want to take the easy way out. He shouldn't do it; this is about the rule of law, and a Trump pardon will have the same effect that the Nixon pardon did on poor old Gerald Ford. The public wants justice, and letting Hillary go yet again only magnifies the sense that she is either innocent and being persecuted or guilty and walking because of her political connections. Either way, pardoning her would be a Yuggee mistake. She must be found guilty of something, and even if she avoids jail time should be punished in some way. Remember, Bill Clinton pled guilty to perjury and was fined half a million dollars plus lost his law license for five years. This was a slap on the wrist by a former student (the judge in the Paula Jones case) but at least it was on Clinton's record. Hillary must receive at least equal punishment, and more importantly, a finding of guilt in a court of law.
Pardoning is such sweet sorrow. In this case it would be poison pardoning.
And it's good politics too, because Hillary will make all manner of mischief if not distracted by a long, bitter legal battle. In this instance what is good for Obama is also good for Trump; keep the evil witch busy and out of their collective hair (and Trump doesn't need any more hair problems.) The Clinton family must be taken out of the political equation; Trump can't afford them nipping at his heels. Furthermore, the Clinton Foundation needs to be dissolved, and the Clinton's vast fortune of ill-gotten gains must be returned to the rightful owners. Without money the Clinton family will be little more than bereft plantation owners after Sherman's march; a once great family returned to the obscurity from which fortune had plucked them. In short, one less liberal icon to struggle against.
Another point to ponder; the media is not just wrong but evil, and it never rests. Our side is loathe to understand that point because nobody wants to face evil, and nobody wants to admit they have acquiesced to evil (and we all have by giving the media the power it possesses). It also smacks of hyperbole. But the reality is the media has thrown itself completely on the side of collectivism and heterodoxy, and they hate conservatives with more than just an intellectual passion. They seek our demise. They are ravenous beasts, laying in wait to pounce. So every second they are forced to spend on defense is a second taken from them from offense. This is not an inconsequential consideration. Trump will have to always consider how to keep the media occupied and out of his way, which means he will always be on the offensive himself, forcing them to react. If he fails to do that they will control the narrative, and will turn it in their favor. A successful general controls the time and place of battle. Keeping Hillary in the news as long as possible ties up the resources of the media. Trump MUST do that.
It's logical on all counts. Trump must never, ever pardon Hillary. The temptation will be great and many in the GOP will want to do it but it would be quite foolish. Did the Democrats ever suggest pardoning Spiro Agnew? Richard Nixon? Have they ever, in their endless quest for power, done anything remotely like that? No; they are the ones who pursue bogus criminal investigations against good men and women to destroy them and take them out of the fray. Nobody here is suggesting we make false charges, just that we allow justice to be served. The Clintons have outrun justice for far too long.
Writing at American Thinker today Dan Jones argues that Obama will not pardon Hillary but Trump ultimately will.
In a piece entitled "Hillary's Nightmares" Jones sets out a strong case that Barack Obama will not pardon Mrs. Clinton:
"President Obama will not pardon Hillary Clinton, in conformity with his oft-repeated insistence that she did not knowingly do anything wrong and that she certainly did not jeopardize national security, and hence she has done nothing that needs pardoning."
[...]
"A deeper reason for not pardoning her is: He’s mad as hell. He revealed some of his anger early in his first press conference after the election, when he pointed out that if you want to win Iowa, you’ve got to campaign in Iowa. This was a direct dig at Hillary. He thinks she blew it,"
[...]
"The greatest factor weighing against an Obama pardon, however, is what it would do to that for which he most dearly yearns: his legacy. It’s hard enough for Obama to insist, as he has frequently done, that the election was less a repudiation of his policies than a desire by some folks to "shake things up.†It’s harder still to admit that he appointed a miscreant to the office of Secretary of State who jeopardized national security under his watch and with his witless (i.e. email) participation"
End excerpts.
He's right on all particulars but he misses a couple of key points. First, Obama himself e-mailed Hillary at her private server, meaning he knew full well about the legal violation. Now he wants to keep the focus on Hillary, lest questions be asked about his knowledge and, frankly, his legal culpability. Obama is likewise open to charges here, and in a non-partisan investigation (sans Comey) there could well be legal trouble for him. It's doubtful, but it is possible.
Contrary to Mr. Jones' characterization, Obama had to know that what he was doing was a security breach. I don't think it can be characterized as "witless".
But more to the point; the Chicago people are not going to go away, and Hillary is not from that particular wing (even though she ultimately hails from the Windy City.) At this point there is no upside to saving Hillary or Bill, and Obama knows it. He wants them gone, not hanging around as competitors, and a long, agonizing investigation and perhaps prosecution serves the Chicago Way well. Without that the Clintons will be wounded but not out - and may try to assert Hillary's rightful claim as head of the Democratic Party, something Obama is not likely to tolerate. It's in his interest to keep the mill grinding Hillary's grist (sorry to talk about Hillary's grist so early in the morning.)
Jones thinks Trump will probably let the wheels turn and ultimately pardon Hill:
"I predict that President Trump will instruct his Justice Department to continue to vigorously investigate the machinations of the Clinton Foundation, and ultimately to issue a detailed Comey-like public statement on their findings. And then -- if the Clintons are found to have committed violations of law, and after the public has been advised of the extent and details of their lawbreaking -- President Trump will pardon them."
End excerpt.
I suspect that is the way this will play out, too, because there will be a lot of pressure from the Washington insiders to protect one of their own, and Trump, his hands very full and immersed in the cauldron of Washington political infighting, will want to take the easy way out. He shouldn't do it; this is about the rule of law, and a Trump pardon will have the same effect that the Nixon pardon did on poor old Gerald Ford. The public wants justice, and letting Hillary go yet again only magnifies the sense that she is either innocent and being persecuted or guilty and walking because of her political connections. Either way, pardoning her would be a Yuggee mistake. She must be found guilty of something, and even if she avoids jail time should be punished in some way. Remember, Bill Clinton pled guilty to perjury and was fined half a million dollars plus lost his law license for five years. This was a slap on the wrist by a former student (the judge in the Paula Jones case) but at least it was on Clinton's record. Hillary must receive at least equal punishment, and more importantly, a finding of guilt in a court of law.
Pardoning is such sweet sorrow. In this case it would be poison pardoning.
And it's good politics too, because Hillary will make all manner of mischief if not distracted by a long, bitter legal battle. In this instance what is good for Obama is also good for Trump; keep the evil witch busy and out of their collective hair (and Trump doesn't need any more hair problems.) The Clinton family must be taken out of the political equation; Trump can't afford them nipping at his heels. Furthermore, the Clinton Foundation needs to be dissolved, and the Clinton's vast fortune of ill-gotten gains must be returned to the rightful owners. Without money the Clinton family will be little more than bereft plantation owners after Sherman's march; a once great family returned to the obscurity from which fortune had plucked them. In short, one less liberal icon to struggle against.
Another point to ponder; the media is not just wrong but evil, and it never rests. Our side is loathe to understand that point because nobody wants to face evil, and nobody wants to admit they have acquiesced to evil (and we all have by giving the media the power it possesses). It also smacks of hyperbole. But the reality is the media has thrown itself completely on the side of collectivism and heterodoxy, and they hate conservatives with more than just an intellectual passion. They seek our demise. They are ravenous beasts, laying in wait to pounce. So every second they are forced to spend on defense is a second taken from them from offense. This is not an inconsequential consideration. Trump will have to always consider how to keep the media occupied and out of his way, which means he will always be on the offensive himself, forcing them to react. If he fails to do that they will control the narrative, and will turn it in their favor. A successful general controls the time and place of battle. Keeping Hillary in the news as long as possible ties up the resources of the media. Trump MUST do that.
It's logical on all counts. Trump must never, ever pardon Hillary. The temptation will be great and many in the GOP will want to do it but it would be quite foolish. Did the Democrats ever suggest pardoning Spiro Agnew? Richard Nixon? Have they ever, in their endless quest for power, done anything remotely like that? No; they are the ones who pursue bogus criminal investigations against good men and women to destroy them and take them out of the fray. Nobody here is suggesting we make false charges, just that we allow justice to be served. The Clintons have outrun justice for far too long.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
02:51 PM
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