Why hasn't Bush just pardoned Miller?

[berni_mccoy]

If she is key to the investigation and Bush wants to put a stop to it, why not just pardon her? This would be the simplest solution I could imagine to slowing, if not halting, the whole thing?

[kerryin2004]

1. She is not in jail for an offense that can be pardoned..

just a guess.

[merh]

2. He is waiting on the indictments and will pardon them all at one time.

:argh:

[madeline_con]

3. Being President is hard work ....

he's too busy to do it all in one day! ;)

[joemurphy]

4. It would be perceived as interfering with the investigation

Not that it won't happen at some point in this developing scenario.

[atreides1]

5. Because she has not been convicted of a crime

She is only being held on Contempt of Court charges, she hasn't been to trial and has not been convicted. Without a conviction there is no precedent for a presidential pardon.

Besides, do you really think that BushCo. gives a damn about Judith Miller? As far as they're concerned she can rot in jail, and they won't lose any sleep over it.

[madrchsod]

6. only the judge who issued

the contempt charge can lift it. bush would never dare say or do anything publicly in this matter.

[Inland]

7. She hasn't committed a crime.

She's in civil contempt. The jail time is a means of compulsion, not punishment. As soon as she talks, she leaves. A pardon wouldn't save her of her obligation to respond to a valid subpoena.

[berni_mccoy]

8. Direct or Criminal Contempt of Court

Because many of you said that it is *not* a crime, I looked it up.

It is a crime that the judge acts as victim, witness, jury and executioner with immediate conviction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_court

Because this is a federal court, it is a crime that is pardonable by the POTUS (according to the U.S. Constitution).