In this episode of Bad News, Good Lawyers, New York Times contributing opinion writer and best-selling author Jeffrey Toobin discusses his latest book, The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy, with host Tom Firestone, head of our Government Investigations & White Collar Practice.
Jeffrey engages in a wide-ranging and deeply researched discussion around the evolution of the US presidential pardon – from President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon to President Trump’s current term – and his conclusions as to why presidential pardon power should be preserved even though it has often been abused for political purposes. He also explains why he believes that:
President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon was a “moral and practical failure”
President Biden’s pardon of his son and relatives “stained the record of the Biden presidency”
President Trump has issued pardons based on “nepotism, favoritism, self-dealing and vengeance”
President Trump “did more to liberate unjustly incarcerated people – and to reduce mass incarceration – than any other president”
Listen now
*The views expressed by guests on Bad News, Good Lawyers are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of Squire Patton Boggs.
If you have any questions about our podcast, please contact Tom Firestone. And look out for future episodes in this series, where we discuss the intersection of law and politics, and how good lawyers can develop creative solutions to the toughest issues.