Conservative Lawyers Urge Bush To Issue ‘Pre-Emptive Pardons’ To Officials Involved In Illegal Progr

[deminks]

The New York Times reported this weekend that “elons are asking President Bush for pardons and commutations at historic levels as he nears his final months in office, a time when many other presidents have granted a flurry of clemency requests.” However the Times noted that despite commuting Scooter Libby’s prison sentence, applicants “should expect to be disappointed” because Bush “has made little use of his clemency power” compared to past presidents.

Except perhaps if you participated in any illegal activity involving the Bush administration’s controversial counterterrorism programs. According to the Times, “several members of the conservative legal community” in Washington D.C. are urging Bush to issue “pre-emptive pardons” to those involved so as to “not be exposed even to the risk of an investigation and expensive legal bills”:

Such a pardon would reduce the risk that a future administration might undertake a criminal investigation of operatives or policy makers involved in programs that administration lawyers have said were legal but that critics say violated laws regarding torture and surveillance.

Some legal analysts said Mr. Bush might be reluctant to issue such pardons because they could be construed as an implicit admission of guilt. <…>

“The president should pre-empt any long-term investigations,” said Victoria Toensing, who was a Justice Department counterterrorism official in the Reagan administration. “If we don’t protect these people who are proceeding in good faith, no one will ever take chances.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/21/bush-preemptive-pardons/

So, tell me again why impeachment was off the table?

[bluerum]

1. To protect the guilty.

[watrwefitinfor]

2. Well, there's this about that:

If he blanket-pardons them all, they will all be free to testify against him. Not a one of them could take the fifth.

Not that they wouldn't all lie like dogs under oath. Still, it must give him pause, if he is contemplating it.

Wat

[zbdent]

5. ah, but if they're caught in lies under oath

after the pardons, they are screwn ...

[KharmaTrain]

3. ...And The Sky Is Blue...At Least We're Hearing It

This could be quite a quandry for boooshie boy. Yep, pass a "blanket amnesty" and that's equivelent to the manchild admitting he's a big fuck-up (which we know he is), but does he have the stones to admit that...or bite the bullet on it?

Now how come I could have guessed it was Vickie the Fixer doing the yaking here. Hell, she and her hack husband could pick up millions in lawyer fees defending all of her "friends".

Impeachment would only hasten issuing blanket pardons...so would indictments. Right now this regime will keep pushing its sham executive privilidge that keeps any real investigation from going on and then anyone compelled is sure to be given a get out of jail free card.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Shouldn't a pardon have to have some specificity?

like ' I pardon you for outting a CIA agent" or "I pardon you for lying to congress" or I pardon you for war crimes you committed"

[formercia]

6. Who is Victoria Toensing?

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Victoria_Toensing&printable=yes

She makes Mary Matalin look good...

[Supersedeas]

9. that's saying something.

[formercia]

11. She was on Poppy's and Junior's transition team.

Her law firm had the task of finding the 'talent' for the 'New and Improved' Justice Dept.

..and you wonder why she is calling for pardons in advance?

go figure....

[devilgrrl]

15. She belongs behind bars is who she is...

:puke:

[Gothmog]

7. bush will pardon himself in the process

bush, cheney, addington, yoo, rumsfeld, ashcroft, feith and others all face real exposre for prosecution for war crimes. bush will issue pardons for these people and these pardons will also cover himself. There is nothing in the constitution stopping bush from pardoning himself and he would be a fool not to issue such a pardon

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Protect them, Vickie? I'd rather see them arrested and tried for crimes against humanity!

[Amonester]

10. Isn't this a bit like if all the Enron crooks asked kenny boy...

to pardon them (if he had that "privilege") too??

WTF??

:silly:

[librechik]

12. Just like Poppy did. These thugs never change. Not even the names.

[High Plains]

13. I want a pre-emptive pardon, too!

It'd be handy to have one of those in my wallet. Just in case, ya know.

[fascisthunter]

14. Criminals

[formercia]

16. VT is a very special criminal

She helped to find the crazy bushbots that took over at the Justice Department and elsewhere. When people start asking who is behind this mess, fingers will point to her.

[formercia]

17. The Monica Goodling, Victoria Toensing connection

Way back when during the Monica Goodling flap, I read that Monica had worked for Victoria at one time and there was speculation that Monica was Victoria's 'Inside Man' at Justice. Since Toensing was the talent scout for the Bush Gang Justice Department and Monica did the hiring and firing at Justice, it seems there might have been a lot more going on as to the dynamics of the hiring and firing.

The Web seems to have been scrubbed of references to this liaison but it might explain a lot as to why Toensing is suddenly calling for pardons when it will soon become apparent who the players were and, she being one of them, has everything to gain by a preemptive pardon.

[formercia]

18. Victoria's dirty little Secrets

Who are these right-wing reactionaries that have been working behind the scenes to subvert the Justice Department and overthrow the Constitution of the United States?