Presidential self-pardoning would violate the basic structure of our Constitution, and the whole history of the pardon power strongly weighs against the concept. Presidential power to pardon, including the impeachment exception, is directly modeled on the pardon power of the British monarch. Self-pardoning, therefore, was never part of the British pardon power — and was not incorporated into the U.S. version. There is no evidence the Constitution’s framers ever contemplated or supported a presidential self-pardoning power, as the debates during the constitutional convention make clear. The Constitution treats the pardon power as it has generally been seen throughout history — as a way of injecting mercy into the justice system.

Source: Washington Post July 08, 2017 00:29 UTC