As President Obama considers ways he can use his executive powers before leaving office next month, one of his options is to grant pardons. That raises the question of whether he will let Hillary Clinton off the hook for any crimes she may have committed as secretary of state.
David E. Weisberg, in an op-ed for The Hill, noted that Donald Trump’s administration could still take legal action against Clinton even if Obama gave her a pass. He wrote: “It is possible, in my opinion, for Clinton to be prosecuted for either her improper handling of classified information on her ‘home brew’ email server or allegations of ‘pay-to-play’ arrangements between the secretary of state and donors to the Clinton Foundation, which could constitute bribery.”
According to the New York lawyer, who has written for the Times of Israel and other publications, there is a five-year statute of limitations for violations of most federal laws. Because Clinton headed the State Department until Feb. 1, 2013, she could be subject to criminal charges until the same date in 2018. That would give Trump more than a year to decide whether to make good on his campaign promise to “lock her up.”
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Weisberg pointed out that if Clinton accepted a pardon, many people would consider it an admission of guilt. Her decision could be based on her lawyers’ prediction of whether Trump’s Justice Department will pursue a case against her.
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Another factor complicating the issue is that Clinton has never been charged with a crime, which sets her apart from federal prisoners seeking pardons.
Source: The Hill
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
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SPECULATION BUILDS ABOUT WHETHER OBAMA WILL PARDON CLINTON
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