[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    AVERTING A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend the 
Constitution and avert a constitutional crisis.
  I rise, Mr. Speaker, to defend democracy. I rise to protect the 
Republic. I rise to prevent a constitutional crisis that would be 
created, should any rogue President attempt to pardon himself.
  Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker: I do not believe that a President can 
pardon himself. The ability to pardon is the ability to forgive. I do 
not believe that a President can forgive himself for crimes committed. 
I do not believe that the Constitution allows a President to forgive 
himself for the most egregious crimes barred by our laws.
  I do not believe that a President could pardon himself or forgive 
himself for the crime of treason. I do not believe that this country 
would allow such a thing to exist, and if a President attempted to do 
it, we would have a constitutional crisis.
  So I rise today to prevent a constitutional crisis. I don't believe 
that the Constitution would allow it, but I want to prevent the crisis, 
should some rogue President attempt it.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I have a simple amendment to the Constitution that 
would avert this crisis. It reads: The President shall have no power to 
grant to himself a reprieve or pardon for an offense against the United 
States.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the great and noble American 
ideals that we hold dear and that we protect with everything that is 
near and dear to us. We use our very bodies to protect it. Our men and 
women will go to distant places to protect these noble and great 
ideals, and many don't return the same way they left.
  These ideals would be put at risk if some rogue President decided to 
pardon himself. We would have a constitutional crisis.
  I am honored, Mr. Speaker, to say that this amendment will be filed 
later today, and there are two other Members of Congress that I am 
proud to have associated with me on this amendment. They are the 
Honorable Brad Sherman and the Honorable Seth Moulton.
  We are filing this amendment not because we believe that a President 
can self-pardon, but if some President attempted to do it, this 
amendment would be there for us to act expeditiously and prevent it.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the solution that I hope we never have to use. I 
pray that this amendment never has to be pushed through, but I am so 
proud to have it there, in the event it is needed.

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