Trump reportedly discussed preemptively pardoning his three eldest children and his son-in-law
Credit: AFP
Donald Trump has discussed preemptively pardoning his three eldest children and his son-in-law to shield them from potential prosecutions after he leaves office, according to the New York Times.
According to the newspaper, the US president has told his inner circle that he fears Joe Biden’s administration would target his family in order to exact revenge on Mr Trump.
Mr Trump reportedly discussed granting preemptive pardons to his two eldest sons, Donald Jnr and Eric, as well as his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
It is not clear what type of prosecution Mr Trump’s family could possibly face — but the president’s children have come to the attention of investigators in the past.
Donald Jnr was investigated by Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to probe potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, over meetings he had with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. However the president’s son was never charged with any crime.
Special counsel Mueller wrote in his report that it was arguable that Donald Jnr’s behaviour could “implicate” him in attempting to solicit “an illegal foreign-source contribution” from Russia, but that he had done so without “general knowledge of the illegality of [his] conduct.”
The Mueller report, published in April 2019, did not find sufficient evidence that the 2016 Trump campaign "coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election-interference activities.”
Donald Trump Jnr was cleared in the Mueller report due to his lack of knowledge of the illegality of his conduct
Credit: OLIVIER DOULIERY /AFP
The report also examined whether President Trump committed obstruction of justice. Mr Mueller’s conclusion was that his report could not definitively state that he did so, but the report “does not exonerate him either.”
On Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr announced that he had secretly appointed John Durham as a special prosecutor in October, prior to the 2020 election, to continue investigating links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
None of the Trump’s have commented on this development so far, but the President has consistently reiterated his belief that there was “no collusion” during his four years in office.
Ivanka Trump and her husband, who both serve as senior White House advisers, have also faced scrutiny for their roles for Mr Trump. Prosecutors in New York are examining tax write-offs on Mr Trump’s businesses, such as for consulting fees, some of which appear to have gone to Ms Trump.
It was also reported on Tuesday that Mr Trump had discussed the possibility of a preemptive pardon for Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.
Mr Giuliani flatly denied the report, saying it was "not true" and "fake news".
Donald Trump with Rudy Giuliani
Credit: AFP
There is also public discussion around whether Mr Trump would seek to issue a preemptive pardon for himself for any crimes he might be charged with related to his time in office, although the legality of that has never been tested.
Presidential pardons are usually issued to people who have been convicted. Preemptive pardons, for people who have yet to be convicted or charged with any crime, are rare but have happened.
However, a presidential pardon does not provide someone with immunity from prosecution against state or local crimes.
Like other presidents Mr Trump is expected to issue numerous pardons before he leaves office in January.
Meanwhile in a separate development, it emerged on Tuesday night that the US Justice Department is investigating an alleged White House bribery scheme in exchange for presidential pardons.
A court filing on Tuesday revealed that a "secret lobbying scheme" directed at "senior White House officials" to gain a presidential "pardon or reprieve of sentence" for an unnamed person has been under investigation for months.
The heavily redacted filing indicated that lobbyists and lawyers contacted White House officials requesting a presidential pardon or reprieve, citing the "past substantial campaign contributions" and "anticipated future substantial political contributions" from a donor.
It suggests that the donor was making the offer on behalf of the person seeking clemency.
Mr Trump dismissed the investigation as "fake news".
Pardon investigation is Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020
There is no reference to Mr Trump or to his campaign in the unredacted parts of the filing.
Свежие комментарии