Tag Archives: pardons

The Washington Post reports: President Trump asked his lawyers several weeks ago for their advice on the possibility of pardoning his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his lawyer said Thursday. The subject of pardoning Manafort came up as he faced multiple charges of bank fraud and tax evasion in an Alexandria court and the president was expressing his anger at …

And the pardon chatter turns into a roar: President Trump on Friday defended his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, as a “good person” even as a jury deliberates a verdict in his financial fraud trial. Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said Manafort only worked for him for a short period of time but …

The Associated Press reports: Even in an era of deep political division, Democrats and Republicans agree presidents should not pardon themselves. And if the nation’s chief executive ever does so, majorities of Americans in both parties believe Congress should impeach that president. Those are the findings of a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which …

Media Matters provides the transcript: BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): What are you calling for now, John? You served your time, wrote a book about it, what are you asking for now? JOHN KIRIAKOU (FORMER CIA ANALYST): I would be forever indebted to the president for a pardon. This president is unlike other presidents. You know, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, they …

CNN reports: The White House has assembled the paperwork to pardon dozens of people, two sources with knowledge of the developments tell CNN, signaling that President Donald Trump is poised to exert his constitutional power and intervene, in some instances, where he believes the Justice Department has overstepped. The administration has prepared the pardoning paperwork for at least 30 people, …

The Hill reports: Rudy Giuliani said early Sunday that President Trump “probably” has the power to pardon himself, but has no plans to do so. “He’s not, but he probably does,” Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, said on ABC’s “This Week.” “He has no intention of pardoning himself,” Giuliani said. “That’s another really interesting constitutional question: Can the …

The Texas Tribune reports: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Friday detailed his role in urging President Donald Trump to pardon conservative writer and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, saying he raised the issue with Trump while they traveled together last month in Texas. Trump announced Thursday that he was pardoning D’Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to campaign finance fraud, tweeting …

Axios reports: Eric Holder, Obama’s former Attorney General, told an audience at a political event in New Hampshire Friday that even if Trump is using his pardon power to send a signal to potential witnesses in the Mueller probe, people who are pardoned can still go before a grand jury.Holder said Trump issuing pardons “will not ultimately thwart the Mueller …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump granted a full pardon Thursday to conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza and said he was strongly considering clemency for other celebrity felons, signaling his willingness to exercise his unilateral power to reward friends and allies while undercutting the work of his nemeses in law enforcement. With Thursday’s announcements, Trump also delivered an indirect but unmistakable …

The New York Times reports: A lawyer for President Trump broached the idea of Mr. Trump pardoning two of his former top advisers, Michael T. Flynn and Paul Manafort, with their lawyers last year, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. The discussions came as the special counsel was building cases against both men, and they raise questions …

Newsweek reports: President Donald Trump should pardon his former national security adviser and campaign aide Michael Flynn, who “has taken the biggest fall,” Flynn’s brother said Tuesday. In a since-deleted tweet, Joseph Flynn said Trump must get the former Army general off the hook for his December 1 guilty plea stemming from his contacts with the former Russian ambassador. The …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump on Friday did not dismiss the idea of pardoning former national security adviser Michael Flynn after he pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US. Asked whether he would consider a pardon for Flynn, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn Friday morning …

The Los Angeles Times reports: President Trump, in one of a long string of Saturday morning tweets venting various frustrations, confirmed that he is pondering presidential pardons related to the probe into his campaign’s potential collusion with Russia. In the tweet, Trump said a president “has complete power to pardon,” suggesting he believes he can pardon himself, or is at …

CBS News reports: One of President Trump’s attorneys is denying a Washington Post report that Mr. Trump’s legal team has been “discussing the president’s authority to grant pardons” with respect to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Jay Sekulow tells CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett, “Pardons are not being …