Jack Smith Appears Determined To Test Whether Trump Can Pardon Himself

The special counsel is reportedly determined to pursue the 45th president right up, if Trump wins, to Inauguration Day.

Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images
President Trump on trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024 at New York City. Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images

The report that Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to keep prosecuting President Trump even if he wins the election,  through the eleven week window between Election Day and the inauguration, surfaces a yet to be tested constitutionally possibility — that Trump could resolve matters by pardoning himself as soon as he formally wields the imperium.

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