June 4, 2018: Trump Agrees He Can Pardon Himself - and EPA Head Scott Pruitt Might Need a Pardon, Too

 

6/4/18: The Justice Department decides to spend good taxpayer money to appeal a court decision that says President Trump cannot ban people who disagree with him from his Twitter feed. (See: 5/24/18.) 

A judge has ruled that in endlessly tweeting about public policy, Trump’s account has become a public forum. 

Therefore, First Amendment rights apply. 

The president is not a fan of First Amendment rights (see: 6/5/18). So, he will use taxpayer dollars to keep taxpayers who disagree with how he spends taxpayer dollars from having a say.

 

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TRUMP WEIGHS IN on Rudy’s bizarre claim from the day before. Naturally, the president concurs: 

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!

 

One wonders who these “numerous legal scholars are.” We’ve got Rudy…and Rudy’s imaginary friend. 

I decide to do a little checking. There are scholars who think the pardon power might include self-pardons. Most who subscribe to that theory add that it would be suicidal for Trump to so act, almost the same as self-impeaching himself. 

They argue that the American people would be outraged and their representatives in Congress would act. 

(Those scholars have not accounted for the epic cowardice Senate Leader McConnell brings to the table.)

 

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E.P.A. ADMINISTRATOR SCOTT PRUITT is a busy man, what with talking to lobbyists from the coal industry about how we can burn all the coal they can mine. It turns out Pruitt is so busy he needs an aide to run his errands. Millan Hupp, that aide, is told to hunt for a good apartment for Pruitt and book his travel. Hupp makes headlines when it is revealed she contacted the Trump International Hotel in D.C. and asked about getting Pruitt an “old” mattress for his new Washington digs – once Hupp helped him locate those digs. Hupp, 26, was more than happy to do errands and provide services because Pruitt made sure she got a good cost-of-living increase in her pay. She started off a year ago making $48,000 and ended up at $114,590. 

Alas, all the scandals now cost Pruitt his job…. 

I’m kidding. Hupp is forced to resign. 

Also out on her ear is a second aide, Sarah Greenwalt. Like Hupp, she got a good raise for her work in 2017, “earning” a bump of $66,000, to finish her abbreviated E.P.A. career at $164,200. 

When a reporter calls to ask about the resignations, a spokesperson for the E.P.A. responds, “You have a nice day. You’re a piece of trash.”

Ms. Hupp was paid by taxpayers to find Scott Pruitt a mattress.