A WaPo columnist's absurd argument that Biden should pardon Trump
To wonder if Marc Thiessen is a conservative shill is like asking if the Pope is Catholic. This weekly columnist for the Washington Post is a senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, the brain trust of American neoconservatism. In the 1990s, as a fledging enabler of rules-free, pirate capitalism, Thiessen worked for the DC lobbying firm Black Manafort Stone and Kelly — as in Paul Manafort and Roger Stone.
Absorbing the lessons of those convicted thieves and liars, he polished his talent for specious argument and truth distortion. These skills proved helpful when in 2001, he became the chief speechwriter for Donald Rumsfeld.
Thiessen gave plausibility to the lies that condemned 4,431 young uniformed Americans to pointless deaths in Iraq and cost the American taxpayer trillions in the direct and legacy costs of George W. Bush’s vanity project.
In 2010 he wrote Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack. In it, he maintained that the Bush torture program had kept Americans safe. The title is proof Thiessen has no talent as a prognosticator. There was no “next attack". This inability has not deterred him from continuing to make poor arguments.
He offered his latest howler in a Washington Post opinion piece, Biden should pardon Trump. Really. Let us have a look at it.
He starts by stating his premise. (The links are his.)
“In his 2020 victory speech, Joe Biden declared that “to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.” If he wants to deliver on his promise to heal the country, he could do so with one action:
Pardon Donald Trump.”
If Thiessen wants to live by the medical metaphor, he should die by it. You do not cure cancer by pardoning it. You cut it out.
Thiessen tries to appear reasonable by admitting to the facts in the case. He starts by saying,
“On the merits, the case against Trump is damning.”
He adds, “His misconduct was egregious, irresponsible and probably criminal. Anyone else would be seeking a plea bargain.”
Then there is the “but,”
“But his indictment has also put our nation into uncharted territory. The threshold for the sitting president’s administration to indict the leading candidate of the opposing party should be extraordinarily high.”
This foolishness is pure propaganda. The Biden administration did not indict Trump. A grand jury did, under the direction of an independent Special Prosecutor appointed by an Attorney General who was confirmed 70-30 by the Senate. There is no evidence that Biden has put any pressure on Garland.
The national records people and the Department of Justice begged Trump to return the stolen documents for a year. At the eleventh hour, even one of Trump’s lawyers told him to make a deal. He refused. What the hell was the DoJ supposed to do?
Thiessen then trotted out the absurdity that the justice system should pay attention to what MAGAs think.
“[The threshold should be] High enough to mitigate the suspicion held by 80 percent of Republicans and almost half the nation, per ABC News-Ipsos polling, that these charges are politically motivated. Indeed, millions of Americans believe that our legal system is being weaponized against Trump — and, by extension, against them.”
Why do 80% of Republicans think the charges are politically motivated? Because the putative criminal’s political enablers have told them they are. Why do millions of Americans believe the legal system is weaponized against them? Because the criminal himself has said so. If popular opinion decided guilt, we would have no law at all.
Thiessen reinforces this point by writing,
“Millions will see Trump’s prosecution as illegitimate, and any conviction as unjust. That will further erode public confidence in our judicial system and the principle of equal justice under law.”
Too bad. If Trump is allowed to skate other millions, who already think the rich and powerful have stacked the judicial system in their favor, will have their fears confirmed. Trump can afford the best lawyers — that few want to work for him because he will not pay them is irrelevant. In addition, Trump picked the judge. And ultimately, should he be convicted, his case will end up in a Supreme Court where he nominated three of the Justices and two others, Thomas and Alito, are fans.
Thiessen then uses the bully’s defense — “You wanna try it? I’ll hurt you.”
“A Trump trial would be one of the most divisive events in the history of our republic. It would set a new precedent — and create enormous pressure on the next Republican president to go after President Biden, his family and other Democrats.”
It is ludicrous. The last Republican President has already established the precedent. Or does Thiessen forget the “lock her up chants” and Trump begging the Russians to find Hillary’s “lost” emails?
It gets worse. Theissen offers these reasons for Biden to issue a preemptive pardon to Trump:
Despite Trump’s best efforts to obstruct them, federal agents recovered the documents he unlawfully possessed.
there is nothing in the indictment to indicate evidence that the intelligence in Trump’s possession was obtained by foreign governments or intelligence services.
Trump might be acquitted — then “the Justice Department will have single-handedly handed the presidency to Donald Trump.”
Absurd. If Trump were an armed bank robber Thiessen’s defense would be, “The cops got the money back. He had a gun, but he did not fire it. And if a single jury member hangs the case, the crook might get a job.”
Thiessen then gets to his solution.
“Whether righteous or not, the decision to prosecute Trump has opened a Pandora’s box. It is in Biden’s power to close it — by pardoning his predecessor.”
Trump opened the box. And we can close it by holding a criminal accountable for his crimes. If Biden pardons Trump, it will tell future wannabe miscreants, “Get your crime on” — the same way Ford’s pardon of Nixon established that some Americans are above the law.
Thiessen tries to sweeten his bitter dish with some hopeful nonsense:
Pardoning him also does not mean absolving Trump of responsibility for his actions.
Biden should instruct special counsel Jack Smith to produce a report.
In pardoning Trump, Biden would be a true statesman.
Sparing the country the ordeal of a trial would go a long way toward repairing the nation’s frayed political fabric.
He would display the kind of leadership that has been missing in Washington.
And he would drive Trump crazy. With one action, Biden would eliminate the narrative of a “deep-state” conspiracy that is helping to fuel Trump’s political comeback.
Does Thiessen believe that Trump will discover contrition? Americans might like a "statesman," but Biden’s oath requires he enforces the law. What does “the nation’s frayed political fabric” — whatever that is — have to do with anything? Leadership is doing the right thing. And while I am all for driving Trump crazy, let him be crazy in jail.
Thiessen saves his worst for last.
“But none of these political factors should be part of the president’s consideration of Trump’s legal future. This isn’t about Trump. It is about the nation. It is within Biden’s power to restore norms that have been torn apart by both Trump and his opponents. If ever there were a time to heal, this is it.”
It is about Trump. The way to “restore norms” is by enforcing the rule of law. And if some people are determined not to heal because their ex-President is a crook, boo hoo.
I will offer Thiessen one concession — even though it refutes my argument. Let Biden grant Trump a pardon for the classified document theft if Trump goes on national TV, admits to all his crimes, apologizes, and promises never to run for office again.
He will not. And even if he did, Fani Willis is about to slam him with state charges Biden has no say in. Then Thiessen will have to write a piece explaining why Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, will have to pardon Trump.
And when a DC grand jury indicts Trump for causing the 1/6 insurrection in an attempt to install himself as an illegal President, Thiessen will have to write a third piece. He is going to be a busy boy.
Do these sycophants never tire of sucking up to Trump, dear God , thank you Pitt