# Could Bush pardon Osama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463 "2008-08-01T05:36:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/1 "2008-08-01T05:36:35Z")
If the Bush Administration were to capture Osama bin Laden and subsequently try him: if Osama were convicted, would Bush have the authority to pardon Osama bin Laden of any crimes? All crimes? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/2 "2008-08-01T07:38:51Z")
Sure. Any crimes that could be prosecuted in America. Which probably doesn’t include the set of all crimes. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/3 "2008-08-01T08:46:25Z")
Well, the POTUS could pardon Osama for any crimes under U.S. _federal_ law, but I think Osama could still wind up on the hook for several thousand counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the State of New York. (IANAL. I am not Osama bin Laden’s lawyer. This is not legal advice, in the unlikely event Osama bin Laden reads this message board.) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/4 "2008-08-01T10:15:36Z")
The President cannot pardon criminals convicted in state courts for crimes against a state? I did not know that. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/5 "2008-08-01T13:03:03Z")
[QUOTE=Bear\_Nenno] The President cannot pardon criminals convicted in state courts for crimes against a state? I did not know that. [/QUOTE] Nope. Only “crimes against the United States” which means federal crimes. Every state and territory has some pardon or clemency power, though, usually vested in the Governor or some sort of clemency board. ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/6 "2008-08-01T13:07:04Z")
I don’t know why, but I misread the OP as Obama and wondered what crime he needed to be pardoned for. Can’t ever see any President pardoning Bin Laden, it would be political suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/7 "2008-08-01T13:34:58Z")
I can’t see any governors of New York, Virginia or Pennsylvania doing that either, so we can rule that one right out. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/8 "2008-08-01T15:06:23Z")
[QUOTE=Walker in Eternity] I don’t know why, but I misread the OP as Obama… [/QUOTE] Curse you Fox News! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/9 "2008-08-01T15:56:43Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] [QUOTE=Walker in Eternity] I don’t know why, but I misread the OP as Obama and wondered what crime he needed to be pardoned for. [/QUOTE] Curse you, Fox News! [/quote] And also, perhaps, [Ted Kennedy](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bbfa449cab). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/10 "2008-08-01T16:13:18Z")
If Bush really wanted to let Osama off the hook, wouldn’t it be easier for him to just divert the attention off of the search for him and on to some other diversion, allowing him to escape? Then he wouldn’t have to deal with all the controversy when he pardoned him. What? It was just a hypothetical… ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/11 "2008-08-20T20:21:00Z")
[QUOTE=Dilton Doiley,Philosopher King] If the Bush Administration were to capture Osama bin Laden and subsequently try him: if Osama were convicted, would Bush have the authority to pardon Osama bin Laden of any crimes? All crimes? [/QUOTE] sure he could, but he never would. that would be completely retarded to pardon a brutal thug who was behind the senseless killing of innocent americans. We didn’t do anything to deserve al qaeda’s wrath. Those people are warped and twisted in their irrationalizations… ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/12 "2008-08-20T21:15:56Z")
Come on, people. The OP is asking about the hypothetical limits of the ability of the President to grant clemency, not about the likelihood of Osama being pardoned. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/13 "2008-08-20T21:21:35Z")
[QUOTE=Walker in Eternity] Can’t ever see any President pardoning Bin Laden, it would be political suicide. [/QUOTE] Political suicide? Thinking of the number of people who would be pissed off, I suspect it would be actual suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/14 "2008-08-20T22:04:24Z")
Why is this question so common? This is far from the first time I’ve seen it - not even the first time I’ve seen it here on the SDMB. What are you getting at, OP? ---
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/15 "2008-08-20T22:43:52Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] What are you getting at, OP? [/QUOTE] I originally asked this question almost three weeks ago, along with a companion thread in Great Debates. I was mostly getting at satisfying my own curiosity and I really think this was answered in the first four responses. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/16 "2008-08-20T23:10:43Z")
No, but he could offer him a limited partnership in the awl bidness. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bush-pardon-osama/458463/17 "2008-08-20T23:17:50Z")
[QUOTE=Dilton Doiley,Philosopher King] I originally asked this question almost three weeks ago, along with a companion thread in Great Debates. I was mostly getting at satisfying my own curiosity and I really think this was answered in the first four responses. [/QUOTE] Given that the question was adequately answered weeks ago, and that the most recent posts are have not contributed any significant new information, I’m going to close this. Colibri General Questions Moderator