President Trump claimed Saturday he has “the complete power to pardon,” publicly responding for the first time to recent news reports suggesting he’s seeking pardons for individuals being investigated by prosecutors probing Russia’s role in last year’s White House race, including relatives, staffers and himself.
“While all agree the U.S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS,” Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday morning.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Mr. Trump has asked his advisors about the possibility of seeking pardons for “aides, family members and even himself” in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into last year’s election as the investigation looks for links between the president’s inner circle and Russian operatives responsible for meddling in the race.
“The president maintains pardon powers like any president would,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday.
While the U.S. Constitution does provide the president with the authority to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States,” that would not do anything to thwart potential impeachment charges filed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The president’s assertion about his own pardon powers occurred in-between a smattering of social media posts Saturday morning targeting The Washington Post as well as The New York Times, former campaign rival Hillary Clinton and fired FBI director James Comey, among others.
Mr. Comey was abruptly fired by the president in May in the midst of leading an FBI investigation into last year’s election. Mr. Mueller, his predecessor, was appointed the following week to act as special counsel in the matter. Along with probes in the House and the Senate, that investigating is examining Russia’s involvement in last year’s U.S. presidential election, including any possible links between the Trump team and Moscow.
The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russia used state-sponsored hackers and propagandists to meddle in last year’s election and boost Mr. Trump’s campaign over Mrs. Clinton’s. Moscow has rejected the allegations, and the White House has denied conspiring with Russia prior to Mr. Trump’s tenure that began on January 20.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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