There’s more to it than that. Would it make people happy who could do something for Trump? Would it result in people cheering him on and feeding his ego? Would it “own the libs?”
Any of those could be sufficient motivation. (I’m not saying they will, and I hope to never find out.)
By that logic, Trump would have no reason to pardon Jan. 6th criminals.
But he likes the idea of sticking it to Dems and pleasing his base.
Agree w @TroutMan & @Jackmannii just above. Idjit trump’s repertoire of motivations isn’t quite as limited as @DesertDog suggests.
But for darn sure if Santos could pay trump to do X, OTOH there’d be lots of applause for trump to do anti-X, trump would be trying to find a way to do both. Or at least appear to do both to both sides.
While I’m sure Trump could/would pardon Santos if there was sufficient inducement (money, fame, adulation, what-have-you), I seriously doubt it would happen in this case.
First, Trump hates a loser (unless it’s him, and he re-defines it as someone else cheating of course), and Santos is that. Second, he didn’t fight, he’s (according to reporting) pleading out. Third, Santos became an embarrassment to Republicans, and his advisors, despite their limited influence, probably don’t see any upsides in pardoning him.
Now, if the theoretical, unproven backers behind Santos we to materialize and offer concrete incentives, then, yeah, possibly (back to the first point) but I think everyone realizes he’s played out, considering the utter failure when he tried to run for office again.
nm. Off topic
just reported on msnbc. he said guilty to 2 of the multiple counts, possible 12 years, and fines.
It’s official, according to the NY Times:
“George Santos Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft and Wire Fraud.
Mr. Santos, a former Republican congressman from New York, entered a guilty plea after insisting on his innocence for months.”
George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York whose penchant for lying led to one of the oddest sideshows in modern U.S. politics, pleaded guilty on Monday to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
While Mr. Santos’s plea will allow him to avoid a trial on a total of nearly two dozen charges — including wire fraud, money laundering and stealing public funds — it all but ensures he will face at least two years in prison.
Does that mean he’s innocent?
No that’s the other George Santos. This is not the George Santos you’re looking for.
This is the former Catholic cardinal and celebrated Formula One driver, not the disgraced former Congressman.
Which one is the cowboy astronaut millionaire?
George Santos. Duh.
Optimally in the form of taking the money to do X, and then after the check clears do anti-X for the applause.
Quite.
A federal judge on Long Island is scheduled to decide Santos’ sentence during a court hearing April 25.
You mean he hasn’t been pardoned yet?
He can’t afford to be pardoned. The going rate is climbing rapidly.
What sort of sentence is likely?
NYT:
Guidelines call for a sentence of roughly six to seven years in prison, though the judge in the case will make the final decision.
The Hill, emphasis added:
The [defense] attorney’s justified their request on Friday, citing Santos’s “personal history, his cooperation in a separate federal investigation, the non-violent nature of his offenses, his lack of any criminal history, the need to avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities—support a variance.”
So the defense appears to acknowledge that a 2 year sentence would be more lenient than typical (or at least more lenient than sentencing guidelines), given the crimes committed. IANAL.
In 2020, 26% of all cases received variances. Cite.
And lately he’s been pitching a fit on social media, which may win him political points but not in court. But that’s all that matters.
