As questions remain about whether Donald Trump will try to pardon himself before leaving office, CNN reports that the president’s advisers are warning him not to do it.
Pamela Brown reported on Monday that White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former Attorney General Bill Barr have been “repeatedly warning the president that they believe he should not self-pardon.” Brown added that Trump recently took a renewed, vocal interest in his pardoning powers, though she was uncertain whether this was before or after the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Ever since the attempted hostile takeover of Congress, political observers have asked whether Trump will pardon himself (and others) in order to try and avoid criminal exposure for inciting a violent mob. The self-pardoning of a president is uncharted territory and it’s not clear whether Trump can do this. But ev if he does, he could still potentially be prosecuted state level crimes, for which he remains under investigation in New York.
Brown noted that a Trump self-pardon would “almost certainly” face lawsuits, and that the White House is re-examining the list of people he has also been thinking about pardoning. She said that a pardon for Rudy Giuliani has been a particular cause for concern since the president’s personal lawyer called for “trial by combat” while speaking to the rioters before they stormed the Capitol.
The news from CNN came as ABC released a related report on Trump’s possible civil liability. The report adds that Trump is furious, that the pardon process has been put “on hold,” and that he and his advisers have spoken about the civil lawsuits that might be raised against him even if he does self-pardon.
Watch above, via CNN.
