To the Editor:

Re “Can Trump Pardon Himself, and Other Questions” (news article, July 22):

As a retired attorney, I am awed, amazed and deeply troubled that there is even any debate at all — especially by legal scholars — as to whether President Trump has the power to pardon himself.

The answer is a clear and simple no, for a very clear and simple reason: For a president to have the power to pardon himself (or herself) would mean that presidents are above the law, that they could violate any law they choose — no matter how egregious or even treasonous — and then preclude themselves from being prosecuted or otherwise brought to justice by simply pardoning themselves.

Is the answer not that simple? Have we reached the point where that’s even debatable? Because if that’s the case, how can we call ourselves a democracy, where no one is above the law?

HOWARD HERTZBERG

LAKEWOOD, COLO.

To the Editor:

Of all of President Trump’s pronouncements, none affected me with as much dread as his assertion of an absolute power to grant pardons. I am not a constitutional scholar, but surely those who drafted our guiding document could not have intended that any president would be able to wield the power of pardon to excuse the malfeasance of those closest to him, let alone to pardon himself. There must be a way to prevent this.