NY Times - May a president pardon himself? This is unclear. There is no definitive answer because no president has ever tried to pardon himself and then faced prosecution anyway. As a result, there has never been a case that gave the Supreme Court a chance to resolve the question. In the absence of any controlling precedent, legal thinkers are divided about the matter.
May a president pardon a relative? In 2001, shortly before leaving office, President Bill Clinton issued several controversial pardons, including to his half brother, Roger Clinton, over a 1985 cocaine conviction for which he had served about a year in prison.
A pardon could increase one type of risk: When a pardon eliminates
the possibility that the recipient might be prosecuted for a purely
federal crime, it also eliminates the ability of that person to invoke
the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in order to avoid
testifying about it. Thus, pardon recipients subpoenaed before Congress
or a grand jury would be compelled to talk; if they lied or refused to testify, that would be a new crime.
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