# What crimes could the president get away with if he wanted **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346 "2005-03-19T20:26:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/21 "2005-03-20T11:17:40Z")
Call me crazy, but I think the minute the President started to do something violent, the Secret Service would physically restrain him, if only to protect him from himself. And if he was hiring assassins and such, the SS or FBI (or local jurisdiction)would arrest him/indict him/whatever. This ain’t the movies (though it sometimes resembles some bad ones!). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/22 "2005-03-20T11:57:24Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > This Saturday Night Massacre was very significant in leading to Nixon being impeached. Nixon was never impeached. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/23 "2005-03-20T22:31:09Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Nixon was never impeached. Thanks for the correction. I should have said that it was significant in the making of bills of impeachment against Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/24 "2005-03-21T02:59:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, murdering a federal judge or senator for reasons relating to the performance of his job is certainly a federal offense, yes… but it doesn’t erase the state offense. That is, the murder is still a state offense, and, in addition, federal charges lie. The President could pardon the federal offenses, but the state charges would remain. OK, so the President goes on a killing spree on an Indian reservation… Jesus, this is getting _complicated_. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/25 "2005-03-21T06:09:06Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > Call me crazy, but I think the minute the President started to do something violent, the Secret Service would physically restrain him, if only to protect him from himself. According to some accounts this very thing happened with Nixon on some of his benders. The Executive Branch has pretty consistently usurped war powers from Congress since the end of WWII, and often in violation of international law (to which the US itself is signatory). There have been plenty of killing sprees the past several decades originating from the White House, just not within the US. Cambodia, Panama City… the list is pretty long. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/26 "2017-11-08T22:08:09Z")
I dug up this little chestnut from 2005. We. Are. About. To. Find. Out. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/27 "2017-11-08T22:12:58Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I dug up this little chestnut from 2005. > > We. Are. About. To. Find. Out. Actually, it won’t be nearly as bad as I was asking. I was asking if the president engaged in murder or terrorism to cover up crimes. But we will see what happens with pardons, firing investigators, etc. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346/28 "2017-11-08T23:35:38Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I dug up this little chestnut from 2005. > > We. Are. About. To. Find. Out. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Actually, it won’t be nearly as bad as I was asking. I was asking if the president engaged in murder or terrorism to cover up crimes. > > But we will see what happens with pardons, firing investigators, etc. Not a good reason to resurrect this thread. This is closed. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-crimes-could-the-president-get-away-with-if-he-wanted/295346.md?page=1)