Trump: “All agree the U.S. President has the complete power to pardon”
Developments on Day 184 of the Trump Administration:
Trump Points Toward Consideration of Pre-Emptive Pardons
Donald Trump indicates that he is considering pre-emptive pardons of himself, his families, and his aides, countering White House denials.
Trump tweeted on Saturday:
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
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017
On Thursday The Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the situation, said Trump had raised the possibility of the pardons. They claimed that Trump’s lawyers were reviewing the option. On Friday White House officials insisted that the stories were untrue.
The episode flared only 24 hours after Trump escalated the effort to limit or even block the Trump-Russia investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Held back by aides from firing Mueller, Trump said in a Wednesday interview that there is a “red line” on Mueller and his team investigating his finances and businesses and those of his relatives.
But even as Trump’s declaration appeared, sources said Mueller had already opened the inquiry into possible conflicts of interest and financial affairs that accompanied contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Speculation arose that Mueller has the tax returns of Trump, who as candidate and President has refused to release them.
Confusion over Sessions
In a barrage of tweets on Saturday morning, Trump also criticized reports that Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak had told superiors in Moscow of campaign-related discussions with Jeff Sessions, now Attorney General, during the 2016 Presidential race.
According to current and former American officials, US intelligence services had intercepted Kislyak’s conversations that contradicted Sessions’ varying accounts. The Attorney General had not revealed any contact during his confirmation hearings and then said that the meetings with Kislyak were limited to Sessions’ business as a US Senator in 2016.
Trump intervened on Saturday:
A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post,this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions.These illegal leaks, like Comey's, must stop!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017
On Wednesday, Trump turned against Sessions, criticizing the Attorney General for recusing himself in early March from overseeing the Trump-Russia investigation: “It’s extremely unfair—and that’s a mild word—to the President.”
The juxtaposition of Trump’s remark, in an interview with The New York Times, and the appearance of the Kislyak story raised speculation that the White House fed information to the media to force the Attorney General’s departure.
Diverting to Clinton
Trump also used his Twitter burst to accuse the “Failing New York Times” of foiling an attempt to kill the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He provided no evidence for his claim that the newspaper had pursued “their sick agenda over National Security”.
He then tried to defuse the story of a June 2016 meeting between Russian envoys and his son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, and campaign manager Paul Manafort, discussing the possibility of Moscow’s provision of material damaging Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Trump tried to divert attention to Clinton, insisting that — in contrast to weeks of attention on the meeting arranged by Trump Jr. through a British intermediary representing a Trump business associate, Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov — “so many people are asking why isn’t the A.G. [Attorney General] or Special Council [sic] looking at the many Hillary Clinton or [former FBI director James] Comey crimes. 33,000 e-mails deleted?”
He continued, “What about all of the Clinton ties to Russia, including Podesta Company, Uranium deal, Russian Reset, big dollar speeches etc.” and then falsely claimed:
My son Donald openly gave his e-mails to the media & authorities whereas Crooked Hillary Clinton deleted (& acid washed) her 33,000 e-mails!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2017
In fact, the White House and Trump Jr. only released the e-mail chain — which undercut Trump Jr.’s previous claims and confirmed the anti-Clinton material as the focus of the meeting — after The New York Times said it would be publishing the material.
Defying White House, Congressional Leaders Agree on Russia Sanctions
Congressional leaders have reached agreement on sweeping sanctions to punish Russia for its interference in the 2016 US election.
The leadership defied the White House’s insistence that Donald Trump needs flexibility to adjust sanctions in his approach towards Moscow.
The Senate passed the bill 98-2 last month, but the legislation has been held up in the House of Representative as the White House pressed its case.
The legislation restricts Trump’s ability to suspend or terminate the sanctions. It cites not only Russia’s election interference but also Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, its ongoing military activity in Ukraine, and human rights abuses.
Two “senior administration officials” said they could not see Trump vetoing the measure, even it restricts his authority to conduct foreign policy, because of the current political atmosphere.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the sanctions development is “highly negative”.