Pardoning himself

When they write the history of the United States in these times, you wonder which outrages they're going to highlight, and which they'll have to leave out for lack of space. There's a new one every day, sometimes more than one a day. Our demented strongman and his evil henchpeople are big on the daily spectacle.

One of the worst affronts of recent months was Dear Leader's frivolous "lawsuit" against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns by a government contractor. This litigation, an abuse of judicial process, culminated in the bogus "settlement" whereby the government purported to give Donnie a $1.8 billion fund to dole out to victims of government misconduct, but only misconduct by Democrats. (Apparently the January 6 insurrectionists were the prime candidates for handouts.) Even more outrageously, along with the "anti-weaponization" fund came an agreement by the Justice Department that the IRS would not audit His Highness or any "related or affiliated" parties for any underpayments of tax in any period leading up to the "settlement."

Like so much of the baloney coming from these guys, some of it was just there for the headlines, and reversed almost immediately. Now they're saying they won't actually do the MAGA slush fund. But they're not disavowing the no-audit agreement, which means that the President and those within the range of the smell of his diaper will go scot-free for any mistakes, or even misdeeds, in connection with their taxes.

Given that the Justice Department is currently headed by a man who not long ago was Trump's personal criminal defense lawyer, the "settlement" is basically between Dear Leader and himself. And so we have finally gotten our answer as to how Trump would do it: He has pardoned himself, at least for tax offenses.

Does it matter? Maybe not so much. At least until there's a Democrat in the White House, no one at the IRS would audit Mudface Poopy Pants or any of his hideous spawn, anyway. The revenue people wouldn't dare, "settlement" or no. 

But if there's a statute of limitations still open after the Mar-a-Lago flunkies are chased from the Treasury Department following regime change in Washington, the question will arise whether the "settlement" precludes a new IRS crew from taking a look at the tax returns that the Trumpies have signed over the years. I would not put it past the impartial umpires currently on the Supreme Court to say that the "settlement" stands, in which case yes, he has, in effect, pardoned himself.

Dictatorships are interesting.