Final Trump Days Ripe for Settling Scores, Pardoning Allies
President Donald Trump may have lost his bid for re-election, but his presidency and capacity for disruption are far from over. Trump’s final two months in office could see a whirlwind of recrimination, executive action and efforts to make governing more difficult for President-elect Joe Biden.
And while nearly every president has sought to maximize his influence during his final hours in the Oval Office, few have had the disregard and disdain Trump has shown for the institutions of the presidency and federal government, opening new fronts for possible bedlam.
Before he leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, perceived enemies could be fired or targeted and allies pardoned, all as novel new rule-making efforts strain the traditional legal boundaries of presidential power. “Once a president is a lame duck, there are fewer checks on his ability to exercise the power of the executive branch,” said Emily Sydnor, a political science professor at Southwestern University.
Without the threat of facing voters again, she said the only restraint on Trump will be traditions of presidential behavior.
“History suggests those have little hold in this administration,” she said.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/08/trump-final-days-disruption-settling-scores-parding-allies/114733784/
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