Pardon the interruptions

Pardon me, but all this talk about pardons is already a bit much, setting the stage for a tit-for-tat start to the new year.
Weeks before President Joe Biden hands over the keys to the White House, speculation is already growing about how far and wide he might look when preparing his list and checking it twice in terms of potential pardonees. The outgoing president drew criticism for pardoning his son, stating that in his view Hunter was the target of investigations and charges which were “poisoned by politics,” though from the outside looking in there appeared to be sufficient evidence that the president’s son caused many of his own legal woes which led him to plead guilty to various tax and gun charges. 
At the age of 82, it’s not shocking that our outgoing president would want to do anything and everything in his power to make life easier for his family, including his one remaining son, but it certainly puts a new spin on use and possible abuse of the presidential get-out-of-jail free card.
The presidential pardon is one of the most controversial powers vested in the office of POTUS, allowing the president to grant clemency to individuals convicted of federal crimes. The framers of the Constitution envisioned this power as a tool for justice and mercy, capable of correcting judicial overreach or addressing exceptional circumstances where the law may have been unduly harsh.
At its best, the presidential pardon exemplifies the principles of compassion and redemption. It has been used historically to heal national wounds, such as when President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon to move the nation past the Watergate scandal.
I’m just old enough to remember how divisive the Watergate era was in American politics, and how surprising it was hearing the news that Nixon would escape an investigation and potential trial unlike the world had ever seen. Some say that stroke of a pen cost Ford any chance at a second term, but in the end his pardon let the country turn the page, quickly and decisively.
What makes this history incredibly relevant in 2025 is President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign vows to pardon many accused of wrong-doing during the Jan. 6 Capitol invasion, and to punish those who attacked him. Whom he will pardon and when remains to be seen, but as we learned in the first Trump term the jaw-dropping headlines could come fast and furious after inauguration day.
This story got a bit more complex last week with news from the Biden camp, all leaked of course by aides on the condition of anonymity, that Biden is seriously considering blanket pardons to not only specific people on Trump’s enemy list, but also to broad classes of people at all levels of government whom DJT might target. Both appear poised to set a new precedent whereby pardons serve personal, political, or partisan interests rather than the broader public good.
 Ultimately, the power of the presidential pardon is a reflection of the president’s judgment and values. It’s a tool that can embody the highest ideals of mercy and justice, but also one that demands restraint and integrity. 
Both men would do well not to abuse this privileged tool as these potential plans just don’t pass the smell test of what our nation’s founders had in mind when framing this piece of the Constitution. 
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net