Democrats Warn Trump Against Pardoning Russia Probe Figures
President Donald Trump has been vindicated. After nearly two years of investigations, Special Counsel Robert Mueller failed to prove conspiracy between Trump campaign officials and the Kremlin.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, in a summary of Mueller’s report, Attorney General William Barr — quoting Mueller — wrote that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
The president and his closest allies are currently busy running a victory lap, ridiculing the Democratic Party and its media allies, enjoying the unique moment as further investigations loom. Democratic leaders are calling on Barr to release the full report, announcing even more probes into Trump’s financial dealings, and focusing on the fact that Mueller drew no conclusions about alleged obstruction of justice by the president.
But some Democrats are worried about a different issue: pardons. A number of Democratic politicians aired their concerns in interviews with Politico, warning that Trump might look into pardoning some of the individuals Mueller has managed to indict and charge with serious crimes.
“Pardoning someone who did or didn’t testify in a case directly related to the president would be absolutely outrageous,” Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal told the publication.
Delaware Congressman Chris Coons expressed concern, warning that Trump could “misuse” his pardon powers.
“It is a concern of mine. I am concerned that the president not misuse his pardon power in a way that will be seen as overtly partisan and to challenge or push back on the whole Mueller investigation,” he said, adding that Trump’s Attorney General William Barr pardoned a number of Bush administration officials in the aftermath of the Iran-Contra affair.
Mueller's conclusion? No collusion. But his findings on obstruction are less clear cut. Here are some key takeaways from the summary of the special counsel's report. https://t.co/e0lfG8QrqQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 25, 2019
“I hope he doesn’t pardon people for illegitimate reasons,” frequent Trump critic California Representative Ted Lieu said.
Some of the president’s Republican colleagues have already called on him to pardon Russia probe figures. North Carolina Representative Mark Meadows, former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, and a number of conservative media figures close to the president openly suggested that he pardons General Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to giving false statements to the FBI in 2017.
Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani strongly pushed back against Democrats concerns and conservatives’ suggestions, stating that neither the president nor his lawyers have not and will not consider pardoning anyone implicated in the Mueller probe.
“No, God forbid, no. No. No,” Giuliani said.
While Trump may have been vindicated, his troubles are far from over. Not only do Democrats plan on launching more investigations, but some are also even calling for Trump’s impeachment. According to The Hill, Texas Representative Al Green called Trump a “bigot,” vowing to continue seeking his impeachment.
