This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Tuesday, June 5th, 2018. I'm Caleb Brown.

The President has made the claim that he can pardon himself.

How does that claim square with the text of the Constitution and with history?

Gene Healy is a vice president at the Cato Institute and author of the cult of the

presidency.

We spoke yesterday. What does the Constitution? of the

president's, we spoke yesterday.

What does the Constitution have to say about the president's power

with respect to investigations

or with respect to the pardon power extending even to the

president pardoning him or herself? Well on the pardon power the Constitution

says that the president shall have the power to grant

reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States except in cases of impeachment.

Now, early Monday morning, President Trump of impeachment.

Early Monday morning, President Trump tweeted out that as has been stated by numerous legal

scholars, I have the absolute right to pardon myself and goes on to say but of course he wouldn't do

that because he hasn't done anything wrong. The question whether the president

has the power to pardon himself is not at all clear. There are

arguments on both sides. The arguments for would be that the president's

power to pardon is extremely broad. The Supreme Court has said that it's unlimited

with the exception stated. The exception being, and you can't pardon himself for committing impeachable offenses.

And, you know, the argument would be he can grant broad pardons for federal crimes.

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