Trump has sent out a subtle and implicit message to Flynn and Manafort: hang tight, I have your back

[matt819]

4. Hang on a sec

I don't think a pre-conviction pardon is an option.

So the patsies would have to be convicted first before the fascist-in-chief could grant a pardon. And they would have to be convicted of federal crimes.

The key seems to be timing and jurisdiction. I suspect that Mueller and his Band of Brothers, along with a handful of states attorneys general, have this under control.

Also, there remains the option of civil lawsuits. Although the putative head of the gestapo, Arpaio, may not be long for this world, these could tie him in knots during his remaining years. And, although I'm not entirely sure of this, the pardon confirms guilt, and so assertions of innocence won't work in any civil suits.