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Keystone
Who could be involved in the potential crime is unclear from the 20-page court document that a federal court in the capital Washington released on Tuesday (local time). The names and much of the document have been crossed out. Trump wrote on Twitter that the investigation was “fake news.”
No charges have yet been filed in the case. The President of the United States has almost unlimited powers under the Constitution to grant pardons at the federal level.
In the now partially released document from late August, Federal Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled, among other things, that more than 50 seized digital storage media are not covered by protected communication between an attorney and his client. Investigators can evaluate these storage media, including smartphones, laptops, and USB sticks, and confront the defendant with the results. Investigators suspect an intrigue based on the principle of “bribery for pardon.”
“Precautionary pardons” for relatives?
Republican Trump could still pardon several people before his term ends on January 20. Former presidents such as Democrat Barack Obama exercised this right until the last day of their mandate.
The “New York Times” reported Tuesday (local time) that Trump had spoken with advisers about “preventive pardons” for his three oldest children, Donald Trump Junior, Eric and Ivanka Trump, and his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. Trump had expressed concern to his advisers that future US President Joe Biden’s Justice Department (78) might “retaliate.” Biden recently said that, unlike Trump, he would not use the Justice Department to investigate his political opponent. The US media also reported that Trump had spoken with his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani (76) about his pardon.
Last week, Trump pardoned his former National Security adviser Michael Flynn (61), exposing himself to abuse of power. Retired General Flynn became embroiled in the issue of Russian influence during the 2016 US presidential election.
Does Trump want to forgive himself too?
Flynn had only been a National Security Advisor in the White House for just over three weeks in 2017. He later admitted in the course of the investigation into the Russia affair that he had lied to the FBI. He is also said to have lied to Vice President Mike Pence. Flynn pleaded guilty to the investigation by FBI Special Investigator Robert Mueller.
In January, Flynn decided to withdraw his confession shortly before a verdict was expected. In May, the Justice Ministry called for an end to the proceedings in a very unusual step. One was not convinced that Flynn’s hearing in January 2017 was based on a legitimate investigation, he said, among other things. Trump later hailed Flynn as a “hero.”
The case was caught in a federal court after the controversial advance of the Ministry of Justice. The responsible judge did not agree to drop the charges against Flynn.
After being ousted from office, Trump is president with all rights until January 20, and there are still some convicts among his allies who can wait for his intervention. These include his 2016 election campaign advisers Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos, who, like Flynn, had been convicted in connection with the Russia investigations. In Washington, there is also speculation that Trump could also try to forgive himself for possible violations of the law at the federal level. (SDA)
With a lawsuit against current US President Donald Trump, scientists want to prevent the destruction of emails, WhatsApp messages and other correspondence from his presidency. In the lawsuit filed in a Washington court on Tuesday, the incumbent and the White House were charged with violating a law to preserve all of the president’s correspondence (Presidential Records Act). Planned or completed destruction of files without formal notification to the archivist or the US Congress is illegal, it says.
“Presidential documents are always at risk because the law that is supposed to protect them is very weak and relies on goodwill, which is currently lacking,” said Tom Blanton, director of the National Security Archive research facility, which is one of the plaintiffs. . He also published a letter to White House legal adviser Pat Cipollone in mid-November urging government headquarters to reassure them about compliance with the law. This did not happen, Blanton said.
In addition to Trump, the lawsuit was directed against his son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and the United States archivist, David Ferriero. The plaintiffs accuse Kushner of not withholding messages sent through unofficial channels such as his WhatsApp account.
