Latest days bring new urgency to Trump’s desire to forgive himself and his children

by



[ad_1]

A source familiar with the conversations says there is a belief that a Trump “forgiveness of family and children, is more likely and more urgent because a forgiveness could avoid prosecution.”

However, aides and allies are concerned about the public perception of a pardon following the January 6 riot, which resulted in the deaths of five people.

Sources tell CNN there is dissent within the West Wing of those appalled by the attack, many of whom are fighting against a president whose primary concern is to protect himself and his family.

Riot on Capitol Hill raises the potential of new legal exposure for the president, his allies and family members who attended the rally if investigators question whether their words and actions could be subject to criminal prosecution .

Trump defended his Jan.6 comments on Tuesday, saying they were “appropriate.”

The White House did not comment.

The source close to the White House conversations said Trump may grant a blanket pardon to cover himself and his children until he leaves office, adding, from Trump’s perspective, “it makes sense to cover everything “.

White House lawyer and Barr warned Trump not to forgive himself

Even before last week, the president told advisers he believed he and his family had been unfairly targeted and that he feared legal action could continue under Biden’s Justice Department, a source close to him said. of Trump.

Since his first year in office, Trump has discussed forgiving himself and his children, but the attack on Capitol Hill creates new momentum around the message and “public relations” of those pardons, according to the person familiar with the conversations at the White House.

“Before the justification, they didn’t do anything wrong,” the source said. But the attack on Capitol Hill potentially changes that. “Trump’s hard base might not care, but some Republicans and former supporters wouldn’t like him,” the source added. “There is blood on their hands after January 6th.”

One of Trump’s children, Donald Trump Jr., does not want forgiveness, a knowledgeable source told CNN. “His father never raised the issue with him, but Don told friends he didn’t want forgiveness because he didn’t believe it was necessary,” the source said.

Inside the White House, many officials are disgusted by the attacks and do not want to be involved in forgiving anyone who may have played a role, according to two people familiar with the matter.

A source said Trump intended to issue pardons beyond just family members. “More people than you might think. Rudy is a no-brainer,” the person said, referring to Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. “And a lot of talk about the current staff.”

The White House had planned to release a pardon group last week, but this was delayed due to the riots, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Trump probably can't forgive himself. He can still try
CNN reported on Monday that Trump’s White House attorney Pat Cipollone and former Attorney General Bill Barr had warned him about pardoning, but advisers say Trump could still do it, though it would almost entail certainly prosecution.
Presidential clemency power has not been tested, and sources say Barr and Cipollone thought it would be a bad idea for Trump to try to forgive himself. Barr believes that a 1974 Department of Justice legal note concluding that the president cannot forgive himself should stand, and Cipollone did not ask the Department of Justice’s legal counsel to reconsider the matter, according to two sources.

The note makes it clear that under “the fundamental rule that no one can be a judge in his own case, the president cannot forgive himself.”

Breaking away from the Justice Department’s memo on self-forgiveness, a former senior administration official told CNN: “Trump doesn’t care about the OLC memo. He’ll do whatever he wants. he wants and then fights in court if necessary. “

[ad_2]

Source link