Just how can secret pardons work?

[dsc]

I don't see how a President can't just turn that into an eternal get of jail free card with zero accountability. How could Trump prove that a pardon he gave out secretly was given out in January and not yesterday. So what is to stop him from just keeping a list of things he did or others did while he was in office and if they get charged claim he gave them a pardon? What am I missing here?

[jimfields33]

1. He's a fool if he didn't give ones to his kids at least

I don’t think he gave one for himself though. Too arrogant to think he’d need it. The only problem I really have is because it’s secret. The federal government will spend months and lots of money for investigations and when charged he pulls out the pardon and yells, “psych!” He’ll do it that way too. I have no doubt.

[dsc]

8. but if it is secret how do we know he did it then

and not yesterday?

[jimfields33]

10. No idea. I'm sure they will he questioned if there are any.

[MineralMan]

2. We don't know that they are valid.

So far, there is no evidence that any such "secret pardons" even exist. It's all speculative.

The first place any such thing would go would be to a federal court, and from there to the SCOTUS.

If, in fact, any such pardons even exist.

[marble falls]

3. Kinda like this ...

[GOPistheEnemy]

4. Only one way, it will be up to the whims of the corrupt SCOTUS in the end

[NotASurfer]

5. Consider the pardoner

The most likely explanation for any such "pardons" would be that a disgraced former President absconded with a supply of Presidential letterhead, set up shop in Mar-a-Lago, and - for a price - drew up a pardon weeks or months after leaving office, because it was impossible to tell what crimes would require a pardon in advance

[gordianot]

6. It would be possible but he better hope there is a record for the records act.

This malignant piece of shit would not be beyond back dating a falsified pardon. Even if he did the self pardon it will go to the Supreme Court who has their own problems. By this time the Biden Administration knows what is coming.

[Hortensis]

7. To be valid, he'd have to be able to establish that he signed them

while he still had the power to do so.

[dsc]

9. and if it is secret how would he do that?

That is what I don't get.

[bluestarone]

11. Wonder if there is any way

The new AG could look into secret pardons?

[former9thward]

12. There were no secret pardons.

People who say that are those who predicted Trump would pardon himself and family. Rather than admit they were wrong they now claim it was "secret". There are dozens of people involved in any pardon process. Impossible to keep secret. But that won't stop the CT people.