No.
"The President ... shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment" [1]. Everything after that is, at best, case law.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_pardons_in_the_United_...
Technically sure, you're correct. The worst kind of correct.
So you have the take the stand and testify.
> [1] The pardon would have put Nixon in a difficult position on the witness stand since he would not have been able to assert any Fifth Amendment privilege when questioned about his actions as president.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon#Afterm...
This thread started with that statement, which is what I based my comments on.
To take the piss on it, only a fool would pardon someone for a crime of which they are not accused.
Are you implying that point?
There are a other trivial examples. Confederate solders weren't indicted [1]. The Vietnam draft dodging pardons didn't even name people [2] [3].
Why they would do it? I mean to nullify the 5th amendment right. Maybe you want to prosecute a crime boss so you give somebody a pardon (or immunity) so they can't/don't plead the 5th and have to testify against them.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardons_for_ex-Confederates#An...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft_evasion#Pardons
[3]: https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/22/archives/texts-of-documen...
You have a reading challenge. GP said conviction required, which is not true. You can be pardoned for something you did but nobody knows you did it.
ChatGPT: No, in the United States, you do not have to be convicted of a crime to receive a presidential pardon. The Constitution grants the president broad pardon power, which includes the ability to issue "preemptive" pardons. A preemptive pardon is issued before any charges or convictions, essentially excusing a person from potential criminal liability.
For example, President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon for any crimes he "may have committed" related to the Watergate scandal, even though Nixon had not been formally charged. This type of pardon can cover actions that might lead to criminal charges, thus preventing any future prosecution.
Was he arrested? The article only mentions a search.
Innocent until proven guilty is a cornerstone of our civilization. We should not shame anyone who has been searched or arrested by the police.
Compare that to an arrest warrant where you willfully turn yourself in.
Would you be willing to share more about any of those situations?