This secret Pardon theory sounds likely and as it asks us to build on it I would like to add that if it did happen they would have put it under State Secrets. Perhaps this is part of why the QMAP asks us to focus on State Secrets before it asked us to focus on anything else (tho I think the history of State Secrets is crucial to understanding the QMAP so it's not just that)
I'm curious abotu that myself and it probably won't be hard to find…. probably check that thread cause I literally just found it in the notables https://8ch.net/comms/res/225.html - just noticed it and commented, I'll dig deeper later