Letter: Some pardon reforms possible now

As someone who was inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and witnessed firsthand the violence and destruction that occurred on that day, I strongly agree with your May 30 editorial criticizing presidential candidates who promise to issue pardons to the perpetrators. The insurrectionists who attempted to block the peaceful transfer of power, and who injured many police officers in the process, should be held accountable through our criminal justice system and be answerable for their actions to judges and juries.

As your editorial points out, there are many problems with the presidential pardon system that our country's founders may not have foreseen. One that I discovered upon entering Congress is that such pardons can be delivered in secret, without the press or public being informed. That's why I authored the Presidential Pardon Transparency Act, to prevent secret pardons by mandating public disclosure.

While many reforms of the presidential pardon power would require the arduous process of amending the Constitution, we determined that mandating public disclosure of all pardons could be accomplished through legislation. Unfortunately, it may take more than that to prevent future presidents from pardoning violent insurrectionists. Certainly, a proactive press and vigilant voters are necessary to prevent such a travesty.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi

Schaumburg