re: #205 Belafon

Though reading it a few times, it means that Trump can’t pardon anyone for something they have been impeached for. So he won’t be able to pardon himself for that.

It means the pardon power can’t be used to short circuit an impeachment trial in the Senate. It can be used to absolve someone of the legal liability that they could face separate from impeachment.

Example: Random District Court Judge (RDCJ) gets audited by the IRS, they find that his committed tax fraud, in part because he took a bribe. Information and evidence is referred to the House Judiciary Committee. They go through the process and: RDCJ is impeached by the House, convicted by the Senate and removed from the bench. RDCJ could still face legal liability. The president decides, for whatever reason, that RDCJ shouldn’t have to go to prison, so he pardons RDCJ and the DOJ can’t go after him for tax fraud or bribery because he’s been pardoned.