How can you be pardoned for a crime you haven’t been convicted of? 🤔
A pardon can been given at any time after the act is committed, he can’t pardon anyone for crimes they’ve not yet committed, but anything after the fact is fair game.
They’re not supposed to be a ‘get out of jail free’ card for the mates of a President, although that has happened before, it’s not really rare. Bill Clinton pardoned his Brother for Cocaine possession for example.
Doesn’t mean they’re off the hook completely, if they really want to they can still go ahead with Steve Bannon’s case, he can still be found guilty and he would still be banned from doing certain things as a convicted felon, voting, he may also be banned from some roles in government. He just can’t be punished for it.
Also, it’s only a pardon for federal criminal crimes, he can still be tried on a state level, or in a civil case.