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Speculation is rife as to whether President Trump will forgive his campaign associates indicted during the investigation of special advocate Robert Mueller, now that the report has revealed no evidence of collusion with the Russians in the 2016 presidential election.
In the past, the White House said that there had been no discussion about the forgiveness of any of the players charged in the Mueller investigation. But with the conclusion of Mueller's investigation, the issue is once again at the center of concerns, especially since a former former senior collaborator is publicly soliciting clemency.
GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS CAMPAIGN ASSIST EX-TRUMP ASKS THE PRESIDENT OF FORGIVENESS AND WILL BE "HONORED TO ACCEPT"
Six Trump campaign associates were indicted in Mueller's nearly two-year investigation. They include: former president of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort; George Papadopoulos, former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor; Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor at the White House; former Trump campaign assistant Rick Gates; Michael Cohen, former Trump personal attorney; and Roger Stone, former Trump advisor.
All were confronted with false statements. Manafort was Trump 's sole partner whose record in the Mueller case investigation was largely based on other charges, including overseas lobbying and bank fraud and fraud. tax. Manafort should serve 81 more months in jail.
Trump reportedly said over the weekend that Manafort had been treated unfairly; However, a rehabilitation in the case of Manafort could be exaggerated given the seriousness of the case. Speculation focused more on Trump's helpers, who were largely prosecuted for misrepresentation offenses stemming from the investigation itself.
This week again, Papadopoulos told Fox News that his legal team had apologized.
"My lawyers have officially asked for a pardon," said Papadopoulos. "If granted, I would be honored to accept it."
He later told Fox News's "The Story" that he had "no expectations", but that he would consider this a "huge honor".
Papadopoulos, the first to officially seek a presidential pardon, pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal prosecutors about his communications with a foreign professor who had promised the Russians to "dirty" Hillary Clinton in 2016. He had already served his 14-day sentence of imprisonment last year.
Among the accused, Flynn, Stone and Gates have not yet been sentenced to prison.
Flynn and Stone (who pleaded not guilty and continue to defend themselves) did not respond to Fox News' request to ask them if they would apologize. Fox News could not reach Gates for a comment.
BULK OF MUELLER CASES AGAINST TRUMP ASSOCIATES ON THE BASIS OF FALSE DECLARATIONS
Joseph DiGenova, a former US lawyer who informally informed Trump during the investigation, argues that Flynn, Stone and Papadopoulos should be subject to leniency.
"I think they should not be sentenced to prison terms, but they are, I recommend that they be allowed to switch their sentences," DiGenova told Fox News. "They are victims, not accused. They are victims of a politicized prosecution environment and have been abused. "
But the Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Cautioned Trump against granting a pardon.
"If Trump forgave someone in his orbit, he would not play well," Graham said at a press conference at Capitol Hill on Monday, adding that he did not think "that would be very smart. "
And Capitol Hill Democrats, like Sen. Chris Coons, MP for D-Del., Said, even before the release of Mueller's report, that the issue of clemency was a "concern" to him.
"I'm afraid the president is abusing his power in terms of rehabilitation in a manner that is seen as openly partisan and to challenge or repel the entire investigation of Mueller," Coons told Politico. .
Sarah Sanders, press secretary of the White House, said this week ABC News that there was no discussion "at this point" of pardons.
Trump, himself, said he had not thought of forgiving a person convicted or charged in the Mueller investigation.
But if Trump decides to consider forgiving his former associates, Cohen will probably not be one of them.
Cohen, who is scheduled to go to jail for a three-year sentence in May, assaulted his boss for nearly a decade after he was charged. Trump blasted Cohen, saying that he had only done so to reduce his prison sentence. Cohen was accused of lying to Congress as part of Mueller 's investigation – although he was charged with fraud and other charges under the scheme. a related federal inquiry based in New York.
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Fox News reported earlier this month that Cohen had at one point "asked his lawyer" to ask about a possible forgiveness. Cohen's former lawyer, Stephen Ryan, also reportedly discussed a rehabilitation with Trump's lawyers in the weeks following the visit of an FBI agent in Cohen's home, his office. and his hotel room, as part of the criminal investigation conducted by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. . But later, Cohen decided, and told Congress, that he would not accept any pardon.
Cohen did not respond to Fox News's request for comment, but his lawyer, Lanny Davis, tweeted this week:
"@ MichaelCohen212 will share soon with #America what he told Mueller and #Congress. For now, remember this # collusion to lie or to incite others to lie, while threatening those who dare to tell the truth during an investigation, call #ObstructionOfJustice. More soon!"
Although Mueller's investigation reveals no evidence of collusion, the special council decided not to decide whether the president was obstructing justice, referring the decision to the Ministry of Justice.
On Sunday, Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein effectively denied Trump, saying the evidence from the case "is not enough to establish that the President committed an offense of obstructing Justice".
Democrats have challenged this decision and have asked Barr to release the full report in the near future.
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