Donald Trump recently announced plans to issue a 'complete pardon' for Pete Rose, the late baseball star permanently banned for gambling. This raises questions about the extent of Trump's authority in sports matters, as Rose's only criminal conviction was related to tax evasion. Meanwhile, baseball's commissioner, Rob Manfred, is reviewing a petition to lift Rose's ban and allow him eligibility for the Hall of Fame. Interestingly, the author finds common ground with Trump on this issue, suggesting that the pardon might also pressure Manfred to reconsider Rose's eligibility for Cooperstown.
King Donald (presumably with the support of President Musk) wants to see Rose get into Cooperstown, and so the pardon talk may well just be a way to publicly nudge Manfred in that direction.
A 1990 tax-evasion guilty plea for which Rose served five months in prison was his only criminal conviction. He was handed down a life sentence by MLB, a permanent ban, for gambling but there is much doubt whether the scope of Trump's power includes overturning the rulings of sports leagues.
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