Preet Bharara: The president pardoning himself is 'almost self-executing impeachment'

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7. No, it doesn't.

Pardons can be used to free innocent people wrongly convicted, for example. Obviously there's no admission of guilt there, that would make no sense.

The notion that accepting a pardon implies admission of guilt comes from dicta in a specific case involving the government trying to give someone a pardon against their will in order to get around 5th amendment protections and to compel self-testimony.

I don't think any Supreme Court would hold that all pardons imply an admission of guilt.