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Speak Up! - View Question #364 |
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Question: Would the president go to jail for a crime?
Answer: The President of the United States is liable for crimes he (or she) commits, just like anybody else. If he were convicted of a crime, he could be sentenced to serve time in prison if the crime were serious enough to warrant that punishment.
The Supreme Court of the United States faced a related issue when President William J. Clinton was sued by Paula Jones for sexual harassment (Clinton vs. Jones, 520 U.S. 681, 1997). In that opinion, you'll find that 'the President, like all other government officials, is subject to the same laws that apply to all other members of our society.'
Also, although the President is given the power to grant pardons by the United States Constitution, (U.S. Constitution, Art. 2, Cl. 1), the Pardon power only applies to federal laws, so it wouldn't help him with a state criminal law violation - and most crimes are violations of state laws.
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