Will President Obama grant a pardon to Hillary Clinton? Should he? It’s an outlandish idea in some ways, but there are substantial reasons that Obama may consider granting a pardon to Clinton.
U.S. presidents have an essentially unfettered Constitutional “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States,” not subject to review or reversal. Such a pardon can be for a specific offense or a blanket pardon for all federal crimes. (Note that a presidential pardon covers federal crimes; the president has no power concerning crimes under state laws.)