The Last-Minute Biden Pardons: Do We Want Punishment, Or Information?

by Ian Underwood

All these last-minute pardons may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

You don’t have to accept a pardon.  It’s offered to you.  Some people have rejected the offer of a pardon, because a pardon carries with it an admission of guilt. 

So the first thing that needs to happen is to get the offered pardons to be accepted. 

Let’s say that Congress (or a special prosecutor) conducts a quick investigation into the crimes with which the pardon recipients ought to be charged.  The charges are brought, the pardons are invoked, and they get essentially the same treatment that Trump just got:  a conviction, but no punishment. 

But because the recipients can’t be punished, they can no longer invoke their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination under questioning. 

Instead of being tried for their crimes, they can be subpoenaed and asked questions from now until the end of time — questions about what they did, but more importantly, questions about what other people — like the Big Guy — did.

And they have to answer the questions, completely and honestly.  The whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  If they lie (whether by commission or omission), that’s perjury, and it’s a new crime, so it’s not covered by their pardons. 

Also, the people who get fingered by this testimony will, in many cases, not have received pardons.  So some people may end up being punished.

But really, it’s the transparency about all this that we need.  Punishment is temporary, but information is forever. 

Ruth Ward et Rick Ladd removenda est

Author

  • Ian Underwood

    Ian Underwood is the author of the Bare Minimum Books series (BareMinimumBooks.com).  He has been a planetary scientist and artificial intelligence researcher for NASA, the director of the renowned Ask Dr. Math service, co-founder of Bardo Farm and Shaolin Rifleworks, and a popular speaker at liberty-related events. He lives in Croydon, New Hampshire.

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