I think a pardon has to wait for a conviction.
Correct me if I am wrong.
“I think a pardon has to wait for a conviction.
Correct me if I am wrong.”
That is what I was thinking, they could wait until Trump took office before filing charges. However someone pointed out that the pardon could be for any crime from (date) to (date). We shall see.
I believe pardons can be preemptive, although they usually aren't. Nixon received a pardon from Ford, and he was never formally charged with a crime.