Can a Governor or the US President pardon an Assassin he hired?
Hello!
I was scrolling along until I saw an article about a Pardon in Texas. In the comment section people talked about how pardons are even still a thing and one User pointed out that they are totally easy to abuse. Like why can't a governor hire a hitman to kill his political Opponents and then just pardon him? Would this be possible? Can a governor or let's say the president just straight up do that?
It's a matter of political will; the Supreme Court is still deciding on the argument from Trump's defense that assassinating a rival could be considered an official act. In a sane world they would be laughed out of court, but the GOP has stacked the bench and these justices have to now weigh their corrupt intent against how much they care about the legitimacy of the court.
I hope someone points out that sitting Supremes could also be considered political opponents. If these dipshits are gullible enough to trust the orange then they deserve the fate they're enabling.
It's entirely possible that the question has never been considered, and that it is technically legal. In that case we should probably close that gap, and soonish.