Trump says he has ‘complete power’ to pardon

NEW YORK – 22 July 2017: US President Donald Trump on Saturday asserted the “complete power to pardon” relatives, aides and possibly even himself in response to investigations into Russia’s meddling in last year’s election, as he came to the defense of Attorney General Jeff Sessions just days after expressing regret about appointing him, The New York Times reported.

In a series of early morning messages on Twitter, Trump suggested that he had no need to use the pardon power at this point but left the option open.

While presidents have the authority to pardon others for federal crimes, legal scholars debate whether a president can pardon himself. Trump’s use of the word “complete” seemed to suggest he did not see a limit to that authority.

“While all agree the US President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us,” he wrote on Twitter. “FAKE NEWS.”

The Washington Post reported in recent days that Trump and advisers had discussed pardons as a special counsel intensifies his investigation into whether associates of Trump and his campaign conspired with Russia to intervene in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The president also responded to another article by The Post reporting that Sessions may have discussed campaign activities and policy with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, last year, despite his public statements claiming otherwise. The Post cited intercepted communications between Kislyak and his home office in Moscow. Trump excoriated the newspaper and expressed no concern about his attorney general’s conduct.