Obama CAN pardon all of Holder's crimes, without Holder ever having to go to court.
Can 0bama pardon himself?
Can he issue a sweeping pardon for a person covering anything? Or does he have to specify what he is pardoning or a time period? For example, if he pardons Holder (presumably for anything he did as AG) and later it is discovered that Holder committed a murder during the last 4 years, or that he committed a murder before he was AG, would the pardon cover the murder?
Another thing this makes me think about is that it will be interesting to see who he pardons. If he preemptively pardons someone who hasn’t been charged with anything, he’s basically announcing that that person is guilty of something.
Maybe the Republicans are playing this hand well. If they don’t charge Holder with any crime until after Romney is sworn in, then if 0bama doesn’t issue a pardon, it leaves Holder vulnerable. If he does issue a pardon, then it’s basically an admission of guilt.
And Holder is just one among many. So who will he protect and who will he throw under the bus? Rezco? Blago? Other Chicago cronies? Pelosi & Reid? Any of the people who covered up his past?
A boatload of pardons to everyone connected to him certainly won’t make him look very good and he’s always been willing to put his self-interest ahead of loyalty to others.
Some pardons would implicate 0bama himself. It would be interesting to look closely at who makes the list and why. I think the list would be a great starting point for a corruption investigation.