> But I think if the office of the President is selling pardons it's better they do that with money in the open than with backslapping behind closed doors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma

What if we didn't let Presidents sell pardons?

This is, of course, the right thing. The pardon is no longer a relevant power. Scooter Libby's pardon was already too much and that's the one which scared me straight about them.