Can President Pardon Himself?

BabyDuckling's picture

Can the president pardon himself?

President Trump is asking his advisers about his power to pardon his staff and family as part of a plan to undercut the special prosecutor investigating his campaign ties to Russia, a new report said.

He even wants to know if he can pardon himself.

According to the Washington Post, the President’s team is also building a case against what they claim are conflicts of interest inherent in Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation.

The aides are actively compiling a list of Mueller’s alleged conflicts of interests, the newspaper said.

Trump has already expressed concern that Mueller’s probe would reach too far, and reach into his and his family’s finances, which he contends are off limits.

Trump refused to release his taxes on the campaign trail, a posture he maintained after he got into the White House.

“The fact is that the President is concerned about conflicts that exist within the special counsel’s office and any changes in the scope of the investigation,” Jay Sekulow, one of the President’s private lawyers told the Post.

“The scope is going to have to stay within his mandate. If there’s drifting, we’re going to object.”

The president continues to fume over Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to recuse himself and appoint a special prosecutor.  "If I knew he was going to recuse himself , I would have picked someone else".

But Trump may have a window to get rid of Mueller. A conflict of interest is one of the possible grounds for removing a special prosecutor, according to the report. 

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Durhamrocker's picture

I think we should save things like this for news sites, but thats just me.

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