Has Hunter accepted the pardon?
Here are some cases where presidential pardons got reversed.
#1: President Andrew Johnson’s revoked pardon:
The Congressional Research Service provided details of the first-ever revoked pardon in 1869. And President Andrew Johnson was the first to take such an action.
Before leaving office, President Andrew Johnson granted a pardon to a recipient that was supposed to spend a year in prison. But when President Ulysses S. Grant took over, he revoked the pardon.
A federal high court upheld the president’s decision to revoke the pardon and that made matters worse.
The judge handling the case explained the position of the law on presidential pardons, including why President Ulysses’ revocation of the former president’s pardon was upheld.
The judge made it clear that presidential pardons are irreversible once complete. In other words, when a pardon is issued and accepted, no power can revoke it. But when it’s not complete, another president can veto it.
The then outgoing U.S. President, Andrew Johnson, made a mistake by not delivering the pardon. And because he didn’t, incoming president, Ulysses S. Grant, had the power to revoke it, and he did.
#2: President George W. Bush Revoked Pardon:
George W. Bush was the second president in the United States’ political history to have rescinded a pardon.
But don’t get confused yet. It was evident the pardon hadn’t been delivered. And because it wasn’t yet complete, any incoming or outgoing president can revoke it.
President George W. Bush issued the pardon and withdrew it similarly. He pardoned 37 years old Isaac Toussie, but he and his adviser later changed their minds.
Why did George W. Bush reverse Isaac Toussie’s presidential pardon? It was because he learned that Isaac’s father had contributed $30,800 to the Republicans.
Other than President Andrew Johnson and George W. Bush, no other president has revoked a pardon. But we all know politics is full of surprises. Things can change in the future, and other presidents may want to take the same actions as Andrew Johnson and George W. Bush.
It is also crucial to remember that both presidents could only reverse the various pardons because they were not yet delivered. If they had been delivered, they wouldn’t have been able to reverse the pardons.