On the presidential campaign trail, Republican candidates are weighing in on whether they would pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of charges stemming from unlawful possession of classified documents.
One candidate, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, has offered a full-throated pledge that, if he wins the presidency, he would pardon Trump. Other GOP candidates have said they would consider pardoning Trump, or at least haven’t ruled it out. Just two candidates, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have said clearly that they would not pardon Trump if elected. Here’s where the most prominent Republicans stand.
The scenario prompts a few questions: If one of these candidates wins, could he or she pardon Trump? Under what circumstances? And could Trump, the early front-runner in the primary, simply pardon himself?
A self-pardon would be constitutionally murky. But a pardon from another president, at least for any federal crimes, would seem like a realistic possibility if the desire was there, legal experts said.