President Donald Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 defendants and two D.C. police officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown have many people asking questions about the president’s pardon power.

A law professor who specializes in pardons explains the president’s unique power to intervene in local D.C. criminal prosecutions.

In his first hours back in office, Trump issued pardons to hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, many who were convicted of attacking police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Trump also extended his pardon power to two Metropolitan Police Department officers who had been convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown.

While the Jan. 6 defendants were charged with federal crimes, the two MPD officers were charged with local crimes.

“Article II of the Constitution gives the president of the United States the power to pardon offenses against the United States government, meaning federal offenses, but also, it turns out the president does have the pardon authority over District of Columbia offenses as well, given the novel nature of D.C.,” said Kimberly Wehle, author of “Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works — and Why.”

Because most crimes in D.C. are prosecuted by the U.S. attorney, Wehle explains, the president has power in D.C. he doesn’t have elsewhere, whether the cases are brought in federal court or D.C. Superior Court.

“Given the unique nature of the District of Columbia, but there’s no other part of the country where he would be able to pardon a state crime,” Wehle said.

While reporters have asked the president about the reasons for the pardons, Wehle says the public rarely gets specific details.

“So not only is there no limits or oversight on the president’s ability to pardon, but there’s like a confidentiality lock on the information that the president has exclusive discretion whether to disclose it to the public,” she said.

As for how someone gets a pardon, and how they qualify: “There’s an application online on the Department of Justice website,” Wehle said. “And there are criteria, including that you have to have served your sentence and waited five years to be eligible, which of course is not what happened with the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. In addition, there’s a number of criteria. Two that are prominent are, you have to demonstrate remorse and accountability for the crime, and you can’t be violent. Those are generally disqualifying by the office of the pardon attorney in the Justice Department. But, of course, the president is not bound by those recommendations.”

About 10,000 people will apply for pardons during a president’s term, she said.

Once someone receives a pardon, rights such as the ability to buy a gun and to vote are restored. A person can refuse a pardon, as we have seen with one of the Jan. 6 defendants, she said.

It’s not just Trump who’s made headlines for issuing pardons. Former President Joe Biden has received backlash for pardoning his son Hunter in connection with his felony gun and tax convictions — a decision Biden made after previously stating he would not. Then, during his final hours in office, Biden also pardoned several people including Dr. Anthony Fauci, members of the Jan. 6 committee and members of the Biden family.

A group of Eagles fans will cheer on their Birds in enemy territory for the NFC Championship in Washington, D.C. Step inside the District Eagles Nest.

“It really feels like our church on Sunday, and you know how people are about missing church,” said Buddy Burns, a District Eagles Nest member.

Religiously, Burns and three others CBS Philadelphia talked to ahead of the NFC title game plus dozens, if not sometimes hundreds of others come together to watch every single game at their home away from home in the D.C. area.

“Always called it like a little Philadelphia embassy, right, like where you were safe and you could root the way you wanted to root and boo the way you wanted to boo,” said Ryon “Duck” Duckett, co-founder of District Eagles Nest.

As the saying should go, you can take the Eagles fan out of South Philly, but you can’t take the South Philly out of the fan…That’s how these Delaware Valley transplants found each other.

“I know Buddy’s from Malvern. I know Sophie went to Village. I’m a Owen J Roberts. Somebody’s Council Rock, Roman Catholic, Neshaminy, right?” said Kennedy Praweckyj, a District Eagles Nest member.

Every week, the District Eagles Nest meet at the same bar, sit in the same seat and cheer on their Birds. Duckett co-founded the group more than a decade ago.

“We’re 4 for 4 fans, most of us, and, you know, we spend the off-season together, the football off-season together,” Duckett said.

Recently, the fan group lost its beloved co-founder, Tev Yoblick.

“I’m going to try not to get choked up here. I just want to direct our attention to the gentleman whose portrait is right behind Duck right at his back shoulder,” Praweckyj said.

This magical post-season run – these fans feel it’s for him.

“There’s some comfort that we know someone’s on the field with them, telling them what to do,” another member Sophie Edbrooke said.

This Sunday, these four say they’re sticking with what’s been working and staying in enemy territory to watch the NFC Championship.

“It’s gonna feel like Christmas morning. None of us gonna be able to sleep,” Burns said.

For these fans, they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else anyway.

“It’s the people you want to be around when something goes right. It’s the people you want to be around when things go wrong,” Edbrooke said.

The sight of many famous government buildings was a bit daunting for this Eastern Oklahoma girl. Yet, I always believed I were among the lucky few to experience working in the nation’s capital.

These past few weeks I’ve traveled down memory lane, along with many others focused on the pomp and circumstance of inaugurating a new president.

With the peaceful transition of power from one president to another, I found myself locked in memories of deja vu.

This is how it was and the way we were back in our Washington, D.C., days.

I arrived in D.C. just days before the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. It was 1977. Grassroots politics had always been a part of my life. The hanging of political door knockers in the neighborhood, that is. Never did I ever dream of living in D.C.

At first glance, the sight of many famous government buildings was a bit daunting for this eastern Oklahoma girl. Yet, I always believed I was among the lucky few to start a new job and to experience living and working in the nation’s capital.

On Inauguration Day, it was invigorating to know only a short distance away history was being made. The best thing to do was to drive around D.C. and see if I could crash any political events.

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Remember, this was a time long ago without body scanners at every door; officials to check IDs and hours of long lines to get into invitation-only events. The action, really, at that time was pretty easy to find.

I wasn’t even dressed up. Heck, it was the ’70s. I don’t think I even owned a dress. I just bummed around in jeans and sweatshirts.

The events of those days are no longer fully clear in my head. But I do recall one gutsy move.

I crashed a sit-down inaugural dinner that I believe was hosted by the Airline Pilot’s Association. Just walked in and headed to a table. Wish I had kept a monogrammed napkin as a memento.

My new DCF friends took me to the local haunt across the Potomac in Virginia ― a revolving bar. As we sat and sipped adult beverages, the floor and our table slowly moved, or revolved, circling the place around the windows. Consequently, this bird’s-eye tour made it possible to see so much of the D.C. area and inspired a “must visit” tourist list.

Look over there! It’s the Pentagon. Probably was the world’s largest office building at the time. In the day-to-day work week, a daily walk through the Pentagon public area was needed to catch a bus into D.C.

I was honored to work in downtown D.C. and in the Virginia suburbs for a little more than 10 years. Eventually some dressier clothing ― dresses and a few skirts ― were hung in the closet. We were headed into the 1980s.

Each day presented new and epic opportunities (we thought at the time) to enjoy the nation’s Capitol. Nearly every night there was a party to attend as invitations from lobbyists and their staffers were distributed around Capitol Hill offices.

Since space for this column is limited, I’ll hit some of the highlights from over the years:

• At my first job, I was issued credentials as a member of the Press Corp assigned to the Capitol. The work included covering congressional hearings, an occasional White House news conference and many unbelievably important D.C. events.
• One year, a surprise birthday cake was purchased for me from the Watergate bakery, and that made quite an impression on this girl.
• At a local meeting, I met a woman who took me to the White House to see the inside Christmas decorations and the beautifully lighted tree. First lady Rosalynn Carter dashed by at one point and left through a hidden door.

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• Most spring and summer holidays, everyone rallied on the mall and the Capitol lawn. The celebrants were treated to fantastic music performances followed by fireworks. One night sticks in my mind, the evening thousands of celebrants were entertained by the Beach Boys.
• At a Kennedy Center performance, I once was seated by chance next to U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers from Arkansas. He fell asleep as the legendary Burt Bacharach performed his greatest hits on a stage piano.
• Business often took me to New York, a fast airline commute. One time while waiting to depart, businessmen in Middle Eastern dress boarded. I felt real fear wondering if there was going to be trouble. Months earlier, the Hanafi Muslims had overtaken the Capitol. My heart sank as these travelers took their seats, but all was well.
• A U.S. senator’s wife took me at the end of spring one year to the Capitol grounds where we retrieved flower bulbs that grounds keepers were tossing as trash.
• One work assignment was to cover the annual White House Correspondent’s Dinner. But, what to wear? I borrowed a fancy dress, which made it easier for me to afford a pair of costly heels to complete “the look.”
• Once I spotted an astonishing lack of decorum by one elected official, and I will never forget it.
• A congresswoman walked onto the U.S. House floor for a vote wearing rollers in her hair! Even a small-town girl like me knew that was not cool. What was she thinking?

Andrea Chancellor has more than 20 years of experience in newspaper and magazine journalism and 20 years in corporate public relations.