Nope. While opinions, even legal ones, are like a certain body part, the Constitution says “these United States”. As opposed to a different country. In the Founding Fathers view the States were to be more powerful than the Federal government. To limit POTUS to Federal crimes, which at the time of the writing of the Constitution were practically nonexistent, would be ridiculous.
> In the Founding Fathers view the States were to be more powerful than the Federal government. <
Right. And that’s why the president’s power to pardon was limited to federal crimes only. The Founders did not want to give the president the power to interfere in state matters.
I just suppose we’ll have to disagree on this one. But if you take a look at presidential pardons since Washington (I have), they have all been for federal offences (treason, piracy, post office robberies, etc.).