Sorry, Donald Trump can’t pardon himself

No, Donald Trump can’t pardon himself (“Trump says he has ‘absolute right’ to pardon himself,” June 4).

Section I of Article II of the Constitution of the United States of America contains a serious omission by its writers. While the person elected as president of the United States must swear an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” it does not require this person to actually read the Constitution. It is painfully obvious that the Constitution and President Trump have never crossed paths. This also applies to Rudy Giuliani and the rest of his legal team.

There are examples almost too numerous to count of President Trump making erroneous statements based on his concept of what he thinks the Constitution might say about his powers, but I will restrict this to Section II of Article II which says, “[The President] shall have the power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” The Constitution is also clear (Section IV) that “The President, Vice President and civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

It is clearly established in the Constitution that the president is removed from office through the impeachment process and that a conviction based on this process is not pardonable by the president (who would actually not then be president anyway). It is also clear that the pardon of Jack Johnson was not within the president’s powers and was a crass political gesture. (Mr. Johnson, married to a white woman, was convicted under the Mann Act of transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes during the Jim Crow era; while it was a glaring example of racism and bigotry, it was hardly a crime against the United States.)