Mike Levin Explains Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Reform Presidential Pardon Power

Abuse of Presidential Pardon Power

• 💡 The pardon power is being wildly abused and is not what the founders intended, according to Representative Mike Levin.
• ⚠️ Examples of abuse include pardoning convicted narcotics traffickers, abusers, and insurrectionists, which erodes public confidence in the rule of law.
• 🎯 Specific instances cited include pardons for January 6th insurrectionists and a former Honduran president convicted of drug trafficking.
• 🔍 Concerns are also raised about executives close to the president receiving pardons, suggesting potential conflicts of interest.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

• 🎯 A constitutional amendment has been introduced to limit the president's pardon power.
• ⚖️ The amendment aims to explicitly prohibit self-pardons, pardons of family members, administration officials, and campaign employees.
• 🤝 This initiative is a bipartisan effort, with Levin hopeful for Republican support despite current partisan divides.

Bipartisan Support and Process

• 🚫 Currently, no Republicans have joined the amendment effort, but Levin believes it should not be a partisan issue.
• 🗳️ Amending the Constitution is a difficult process, requiring a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, and ratification by three-fourths of the states.
• 🚀 Despite the challenges, Levin emphasizes the need to address the abuse of this power and start the conversation.

Intended Purpose of Pardons

• ✅ The original intent of the pardon power was to address true miscarriages of justice or situations where punishment was disproportionate.
• ❓ Modern presidential history, particularly the second Trump administration, has seen a significant departure from this intended use.

Other Legislative Efforts

• 🤝 Beyond pardon reform, Levin is also working on banning members of Congress from trading stock.
• 🌟 He remains committed to achieving significant bipartisan accomplishments despite the current divisive political climate.