Trump would pity himself, his family and friends in advance

Donald trump Since his election as president in 2016, he has been a true obsession with a right in the office of president: the possibility of presidential pardon. The Constitution of the United States gives virtually unlimited power to presidents who can give full grace to whoever they want, and Trump liked it a lot.

A former white domestic official who told CNN said Trump was so impressed with the opportunity that he couldn’t even pay attention to anything else when the issue came up. This was also taken advantage of by his staff, who began to talk about giving thanks if they wanted to divert the president’s attention to another matter.

Trump’s critics were confident that as soon as he accepted his electoral defeat, he would unleash a wave of pardons, knowing that no one could do anything about it. It started last week when he pardoned his former national security adviser, Michael Flynnt, who was sentenced to prison for lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador.

According to US press reports, this was only the first step. Officials who spoke to ABC News said Trump is expected to announce another presidential pardon in the coming weeks and that he will not wait until his last day in office, as previous presidents have done.

Family, friends and yourself

At the top of the list is Trump himself and his sons, Donald Trump Jr., Eric trump Y Ivanka Trumpand his son, Jared kushner He reported on various American newspapers and television. Several officials have confirmed to the press that Trump is increasingly speaking with his advisers about the possibility of granting them a preventive pardon, and that he himself is not prosecuted.

The Constitution of the United States allows it. Gerald ford the president of the United States, for example, granted such a preliminary pardon to the resigning president Richard Nixonnaknot be prosecuted for crimes committed during his presidency and a few years later Jimmy carter pardoned thousands of people who had illegally escaped the line-ups during the Vietnam War but had not yet been charged.

The laws also don’t prevent the president from granting clemency to his family members, constitutional law experts told ABC News. That’s what he did Bill clinton Furthermore, whoever had pardoned his half-brother, who had been convicted of possessing cocaine, it is true, had already served his sentence by then. Clinton is also one of his close acquaintances, supporting Democrats with large donations. Marc rich He also pardoned a businessman who had fled abroad when he was charged with tens of millions of dollars in tax evasion.

On the other hand, it is not clear if Trump can grant himself presidential grace and if he will eventually be willing to take this step, which will undoubtedly cause a major storm. There are former white domestic officials who have told CNN that they are almost certain that he will make the decision, while others say that he is not because he would admit that he is guilty of something.

Trump reportedly asked his staff in his first year as president how presidential clemency could be granted and done even before a possible impeachment, as a preemptive strike. And in a Twitter post in 2018, he claimed that even “various legal experts” say “I have every right to forgive myself.”

Legal experts are divided on the issue because it has never happened in US history that a president has tried to do so, but most say it is highly questionable whether such a measure would be constitutional. According to a legal interpretation issued by the United States Department of Justice in the 1970s, presidents cannot have self-pity. If someone tried this, they would surely be challenged in court and the case would go to the Supreme Court.

However, several people are encouraging the president to do so. Is among them Sean Hannity, a right-wing American news television host on Fox News, who is a good friend of Trump and is considered to be advised by the president. Hannity stated on her radio show that Trump should forgive himself to avoid accusations later Joe biden President-elect will be sworn in in January. He suggested the same to Trump Matt gaetz also a Florida congressman, arguing that the Democrats who come to power will seek revenge through indictments.

Trials against Trump and his family are pending

Trump is not accidentally concerned about the charges. The outgoing president, for example, could be charged with obstruction of justice, after he left the White House and his immunity waived, for being obstructed by a special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. . Robert Mueller job. Additionally, federal prosecutors are likely to charge him for violating campaign finance laws because in 2016 he ordered his attorney to pay tuition money to a porn actress with whom Trump had an affair.

However, the presidential pardon would not save Trump and his family from all prosecutions. This is because the president can only pardon federal crimes, so prosecutors in each state can continue to prosecute him and his family members. This is exactly what New York State prosecutors are preparing to investigate on suspicion of various tax and financial crimes against Trump’s company, in which he and his children may also be involved.

Many wait for grace

According to ABC News, in recent weeks, Trump supporters and various attorneys have reported one after another to the White House in hopes of a presidential clemency and have already begun examining the applications. Although lawyers have traditionally compiled a list of people who receive the pardon, the office serving it has so far played a role only eight times in the 28 pardons granted by the outgoing president, as Trump tends to decide on his own, listening. to the people you trust personally.

Former Trump employees, who have previously been convicted of various crimes, are expected to be able to count on mercy as his former campaign manager. Paul Manafort, Rick gates, President of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, George Papadopoulos foreign policy advisor, respectively Steve Bannon consultant. And of course Rudy giulianiTrump’s attorney, who, according to information from the New York Times, also spoke with the president in person last week about giving him the presidential grace in advance.

However, there is someone who has gone beyond simple lobbying. A judge’s decision, released Tuesday, revealed that an unknown man whose name had been withheld had requested a presidential pardon in exchange for a bribe delivered as a political donation, and the case had been investigated by federal prosecutors for months. The published document did not reveal who he was or whether the White House or Trump himself were involved in the case, although the Attorney General’s office told Reuters that no government official was the target of the investigation.