Did anyone else think the cat was standing on hot coals at first look?

After all, the only reason the government is partially shut right now is because they aren't generally allowed to BORROW money until the limit is lifted. Why would we be borrowing money if the tariffs are all we need, no income taxes required?

What "concerns" a perverted sex trafficker/deplorable human being and what concerns most Americans including myself are two different categories. It didn't concern her what Epstein did for decades, or not enough to stop being his right hand associate.

As advice to the idiot Republicans pushing this line of inquiry, charge these folks with state level crimes if it is your concern that these people committed crimes and are unpunished. Go through with this plan if you want to lose an expensive court battle at either the Circuit or SCOTUS level.

Neither Congress, nor the Supreme Court, nor any other person on Earth has control over this act, and I suspect even JJ Thomas and Alito would agree with this analysis, bent as they are on ruling in favor of Trump in every case or controversy.

Again, all this is to say: if the President is acting as President, and nothing has removed him, and he employs people to record his pardons

If they record it, that person is pardoned.

POTUS could implement internal policy about when a pardon is final. If they do, that's when it's final. Period.

If Kamala and at least a majority of the cabinet disapproved, assuming they knew, they had a remedy if they could substantiate a belief that he was unable to discharge the office, they had a remedy under the 25th Amendment. And there is a process for deciding that fact pattern.

Congress, however, doesn't even have a right to know who he pardoned, ever. Executive privilege plus the court-recognized practice of pocket pardons means half of the United States might have a pardon from Joe right now, and there would be no way to know, unless they question those individuals.

If Joe was displeased by their use of his authority, he had a remedy: fire them immediately at any time. If Congress was displeased, tough, but if they wanted, they could impeach and convict him at any time they chose, and this is also nearly unchecked and unreviewable.

I say all this to highlight:

The stupid theory about the "autopen pardons" being invalid is stupid. If the president's employees with his authority to write out his pardons and sign them for him write out a pardon and use his signature, they're pardoned. There is no check to this authority.

He's really not a fan of that Equal Protection clause. I'd mention the Insurrection clause, but that apparently means nothing at all, as interpreted by SCOTUS.

I only hope that referred to Tim, because how would you differentiate between him, and people that would be willing to be seen with him in public? even if he was paying?