Some of President Trump’s lawyers are exploring ways to limit or undercut special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation, building a case against what they allege are his conflicts of interest and discussing the president’s authority to grant pardons, according to people familiar with the effort. Trump has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection with the probe, according to one of those people. A second person said Trump’s lawyers have been discussing the president’s pardoning powers among themselves. ... With the Russia investigation continuing to widen, Trump’s lawyers are working to corral the probe and question the propriety of the special counsel’s work. They are actively compiling a list of Mueller’s alleged potential conflicts of interest, which they say could serve as a way to stymie his work, according to several of Trump’s legal advisers. ... Trump has been fuming about the probe in recent weeks as he has been informed about the legal questions that he and his family could face. His primary frustration centers on why allegations that his campaign coordinated with Russia should spread into scrutinizing many years of Trump dealmaking. He has told aides he was especially disturbed after learning Mueller would be able to access several years of his tax returns. https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...ifi_push_breaking-news&utm_term=.f269d499ead4
Corallo had been a longtime crisis communications guru and had worked for John Ashcroft at the Justice Department in the George W. Bush administration.
Since Denny's not here right now to talk common sense, I'll do it for him. Trump actually with a very savvy move here. He's being unfairly persecuted and investigated by the sore-loser Dims, so he's preemptively pardoning himself so that he can get back to doing the nation's work and let the DemocRATS scurry around on their now-useless investigation. LOL!
I didn't realize this. Anyone know more specifics? Does this mean they can be compelled to talk to congress and if they purger themselves the pardon is undone?
I took it to mean that once pardoned, they no longer have 5th amendment protections, so no longer have a legal shield to avoid testifying.
That's not that much. I figure most people would take the slap on the wrist for obstruction or perjury since they would not have to worry about any of the more substantial allegations for which they were previously pardoned.
I'm pretty sure you can go to jail for obstruction of justice. Why would they do that, just to protect Trump? By being pardoned they, themselves, are not any risk for the things they're testifying about.
Accepting a pardon is essentially admitting a crime was committed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burdick_v._United_States This brings us to the differences between legislative immunity and a pardon. They are substantial. The latter carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it. The former has no such imputation or confession. It is tantamount to the silence of the witness. It is noncommittal. It is the unobtrusive act of the law given protection against a sinister use of his testimony, not like a pardon, requiring him to confess his guilt in order to avoid a conviction of it.
