AP reports that Roger Clemens, along with a lot of other people, MAY have petitioned President George W. Bush for a pardon. The names of actual petitioners are kept confidential.
Whether or not Clemens goes in the front of the line ahead of people like Michael Milken, Alberto Gonzales, or John Walker Lindh is not yet known.
What is the rationale behind pardons? Are they supposed to be given to people whom the president believes were wrongfully accused? If so, are they only supposed to be given to such people? And is there some reason why the president would generally know better than anyone else whether they were wrongfully accused?
1 Article II section 2 only says this:
(The President) ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
In other words, the president's power to grant pardons is unrestricted. He can grant or refuse pardons for any reason or no reason. The sovereign in English Common Law has similar powers, and I assume that is why it was included in our constitution.
There is an office in the Justice Department that reviews the applications. It's linked above.
(The President) ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
In other words, the president's power to grant pardons is unrestricted. He can grant or refuse pardons for any reason or no reason. The sovereign in English Common Law has similar powers, and I assume that is why it was included in our constitution.
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