Don't quote me, but I don't believe a pardon actually clears a criminal record or prevents a conviction. It just vacates or reduces the punishment.
If Trump grants pre-emptive pardons, it might still be worth prosecuting just to get the truth out there and see how far down the line the corruption goes.
Interesting about the Nixon case is that Nixon initially wanted to decline the pardon because he didn't want to basically admit guilt. Ford insisted he take it.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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