I don’t know how pardons are processed, but there is likely some official method. Writing a not on a piece of paper and giving it to the subject doesn’t seem like a legal method.
Digging way back...
Pardons must be entered into the Federal Register to be legit but can be “sealed” for National Security concerns.
Ha! Took a break while typing and found this:
28CFR5.1
Petitions, reports, memoranda, and communications submitted or furnished in connection with the consideration of a petition for executive clemency generally shall be available only to the officials concerned with the consideration of the petition. However, they may be made available for inspection, in whole or in part, when in the judgment of the Attorney General their disclosure is required by law or the ends of justice.
10.9.20: ARROW in the QUIVER exposed! Planned long ago?
Please let me know if you want on or off this ping list.
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The prevailing theory seems to be that the pardons are filed somewhere in the Presidential Library of the President who issued them.
I have no idea if that’s true or not.
But wasn’t there a raid on 0vomit’s or Klintoon’s library a while back? It seems like there was something like that going on.
Anyway, all speculation until we get some facts.