The pardon power is admittedly broad. For example, the president isn’t required to wait for a pardon application to work its way through the bureaucracy of the Justice Department’s pardon attorney. Nor is the power limited to blotting out the convictions of deserving individuals. With Watergate on his mind, Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while president, and Jimmy Carter issued a pardon for American men who had evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. And Congress may not interfere with pardons.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 18, 2019 10:07 UTC