Miscellaneous Issues
In an endeavor as big, complex, and potentially dangerous as a Tribunal to redress the wrongs of the Trump/Maga Era (TME) there are cadres of devils to be found in the details.
This article attempts to deal with a few of those devils.
Is It Possible To Revoke A Presidential Pardon?
The general assumption is that Presidential Pardons and Commutations are a one-way ratchet, that once granted they can not be modified or revoked.
What is the foundation for that belief? There are no words in the US Constitution about this.
One could look at Pardons and Commutations anew and not leap to the conclusion that they are some sort of incontestable, vested property right of the beneficiary.
Rather, one could look at Pardons and Commutations as an act of abeyance on the part of the Federal government - not unlike how certain letters from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can be an act of forbearance on the part of our income tax collection system.
Generational Wealth
We have seen, particularly in the case of the Trump family, that family members are involved in the crimes of the Trump/MAGA era. There ought to be no doubt that those people and those crimes fall within the purview of the American Tribunal.
However, do we adopt the Old Testament practice of visiting the crimes of the fathers upon the sons (and daughters, and spouses of daughters) to the seventh generation?
This latter question can be diminished if the Tribunal actively pursues clawbacks of ill-gotten gains from the first-party actors.
Difficulty of Reversing Insider Trading
Insider trading, in stock and futures markets, causes two kinds of damage:
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Unlawful gains by the inside trader
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Losses to everyone who might have bought or sold had they had the same information as was available to the inside trader. This category of loss is not only difficult to calculate, it also is unbounded because the number of people who suffered loss includes all of those - potentially every person in the world - who might have bought or sold but chose not to do so.
Erasure of The Trump Name
History has shown us that a cult will arise around the past leader and movement. This happened after the US Civil War with the rise of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, the German post-WWI "Stabbed In The Back" movement (which gave rise to the Nazis), and the still-continuing cults dedicated to Nazi themes.
After the end of Trump/MAGA a cult will rise; indeed, it already exists, but even if its numbers diminish, the intensity of its myths will intensify. And it will coalesce with already existing cults and right-wingmovements, especially those advocating white Christian nationalism and suppression of women's rights.
Remove Trumps Face and Name From All Official United States Materials, Buildings, and Entities
- The Trump name must be stripped from buildings, monuments, airports, and other public property.
- Any coin or Federal currency bearing the Trump name, image, or signature must be declared to no longer be legal tender (while giving possessors of such items a six-month window to exchange those items for other forms of legal tender.)
- Awards and medals granted by Trump to undeserving individuals and organizations must be revoked.
- The aircraft used by the United States to transport Federal officials (such as the aircraft used as Air Force One and Marine One) must be restored to the paint and decorative markings (both exterior and interior) that were used before Trump took office.
- The Qatar "gift" 747 must be scrapped or converted to scientific use.
The United States Archives must take possession of all items used by Trump or given to the United States during the Trump administrations. This includes all papers, documents, and items that would normally go to a Presidential Library. These items should be stored in nondescript but secure warehouses run by the Archives.
The "ballroom" and the "arch" must be obliterated. (The military command complex beneath the to-be-erased "ballroom" may be retained.)
Trump properties (from Mar-a-Lago to Trump Tower to golf courses) must be thoroughly searched for US government property that has been improperly retained.
Any government property that can be related to Trump, such as the giant banners bearing Trump's face, must be destroyed and the remains scattered.
No Official Monuments
Statutes and executive orders should be issued that remove any existing monuments to Trump and prevent any future monuments.
Risk of Creating Martyrs
The Trump/MAGA world likes to transform people who have died into martyrs. For example, the vile Charlie Kirk has been elevated into the Pantheon of MAGA saints.
Any flaw or ambiguity in the Tribunal's decision-making processes will activate or fuel the MAGA martyr-making machinery.
Disposal of Property
We can expect that any physical object touched by or seen by Trump (including those cheap gold spray "decorations" in the Oval Office) will become extremely valuable relics. MAGA acolytes will pay top dollar, and higher, for these.
The Tribunal could initiate auctions to sell these off. Or perhaps it may be a wiser course to simply destroy them.