Join host Tom Firestone, head of our Government Investigations & White Collar Practice, for a compelling discussion with Jeffrey Toobin—New York Times contributing opinion writer and best‑selling author—on the complex, controversial and often misunderstood world of presidential pardons.
In this episode, Toobin delves into the research behind his latest book, The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy, offering fresh insights into how the pardon power has been exercised, stretched and debated from the Nixon era to today.
Drawing on decades of legal and political analysis, Toobin explores how the modern presidency has shaped, and been shaped by, the constitutionally granted authority to forgive federal offenses.
Together, Toobin and Firestone unpack the tension between the pardon power’s noble purpose, the political controversies that continually surround its use and why Toobin ultimately believes the pardon power should remain intact despite its misuse.