White House Leaves Open The Possibility That Trump Could Use Pardons Over Russia
- 7 years ago
Sarah Huckabee Sanders commented on presidential pardons during a press briefing on Friday.
The White House appears to be leaving open the possibility that President Trump could try to pardon himself or others being investigated over Russia.
During an on-camera press briefing Friday, newly named press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked directly about the speculation, and she stated, “I refer you to comments that have already been made by the outside counsel in terms of their actions.”
She added, “The president maintains pardon powers like any president would, but there are no announcements or planned announcements on that front whatsoever.”
The possibility for such a move was raised in a recent Washington Post report which states, based on an inside source, that “Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe.”
It then adds that “A second person said Trump’s lawyers have been discussing the president’s pardoning powers among themselves.”
However, the story was later updated to include a response from a member of Trump’s legal team, John Dowd, who reportedly “said it was ‘not true’ and ‘nonsense.’”
The issue has led to speculation about whether Trump could actually pardon himself and his associates; Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt told CNN that while a legal ruling could be complicated, he admitted that “...the Constitution does not expressly prohibit self-pardons.”
Meanwhile, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley wrote in a Post op-ed that if Trump “really did pardon his aides, his family or himself to head off Robert Mueller’s inquiry, the move probably would be constitutional but ultimately self-defeating for the president.”
The White House appears to be leaving open the possibility that President Trump could try to pardon himself or others being investigated over Russia.
During an on-camera press briefing Friday, newly named press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked directly about the speculation, and she stated, “I refer you to comments that have already been made by the outside counsel in terms of their actions.”
She added, “The president maintains pardon powers like any president would, but there are no announcements or planned announcements on that front whatsoever.”
The possibility for such a move was raised in a recent Washington Post report which states, based on an inside source, that “Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe.”
It then adds that “A second person said Trump’s lawyers have been discussing the president’s pardoning powers among themselves.”
However, the story was later updated to include a response from a member of Trump’s legal team, John Dowd, who reportedly “said it was ‘not true’ and ‘nonsense.’”
The issue has led to speculation about whether Trump could actually pardon himself and his associates; Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt told CNN that while a legal ruling could be complicated, he admitted that “...the Constitution does not expressly prohibit self-pardons.”
Meanwhile, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley wrote in a Post op-ed that if Trump “really did pardon his aides, his family or himself to head off Robert Mueller’s inquiry, the move probably would be constitutional but ultimately self-defeating for the president.”