Donald Trump is expected to issue more than 100 presidential pardons on Tuesday during his final hours at the White House, but he cannot forgive himself or his immediate family, it was reported on Monday.
White House officials say Trump has privately discussed with his advisers whether he should take the extraordinary step of issuing a pardon to himself. Some members of the administration have warned against personal forgiveness, arguing that it would make Trump look guilty.
On Sunday, Trump met his son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka Trump and senior advisers to discuss a long list of apologies, the Washington Post reported. The meeting took up much of the day. The president was personally involved with the details of each case, he said.
Some scholars believe that forgiveness would go against the United States constitution, since it violates the basic principle that no one should be able to judge their own case. But the problem has never been tested.
The White House discussions were set against the backdrop of an impending Senate impeachment trial against Trump following the January 6 invasion by a pro-Trump crowd of the United States Capitol building. If convicted, Trump could be disqualified for running for president again in 2024.
Out of office, Trump will also be vulnerable to prosecution by federal and state officials for his actions in office and in relation to his business empire.
It is unclear whether Trump will act to forgive members of his inner circle. They include Steve Bannon, who was accused of defrauding individuals who donated to a wall project on the United States’ border with Mexico. Another possible name is Rudy Giuliani, a longtime Trump personal lawyer, who led attempts to overturn the November election result. Trump and Giuliani reportedly quarreled recently over unpaid legal bills.
CNN reported on Monday that the final batch of clemency lawsuits should present pardons aimed at criminal justice reform, as well as more controversial ones for political allies and friends. Lobbyists have been pushing for months to include their clients on Trump’s farewell list.
“Everything is a transaction. He likes forgiveness because he is one-sided. And he likes to do favors for the people he thinks owe him, ”a source familiar with the matter told CNN, adding that Trump wanted to help people who, in turn, could help him in his post-White House career. .
Dr. Salomon Melgen, a prominent Palm Beach ophthalmologist who is in prison after being convicted on dozens of charges of health fraud, must be on the clemency list, said CNN.
Presidential pardon does not imply innocence – a fact that President Gerald Ford clung to in the face of enduring reproach for the forgiveness of Richard Nixon, his predecessor who disgraced him in 1974 because of the Watergate scandal.
Last-minute forgiveness and acts of clemency are common as presidencies come to an end. Infamously, in 2001, Bill Clinton forgave fugitive financier Marc Rich on his last day at the White House.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported intense lobbying for pardons as the Trump era draws to a close. Among the surprising details, an unnamed Giuliani associate reportedly told a former CIA officer that a pardon “would cost $ 2 million”.
Capitol riot participants directly appealed – via television or their lawyers – for Trump’s pardons. On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Trump ally, appealed directly to the president, telling him not to forgive anyone associated with the attack.
“There are many people asking the president to forgive the people who participated in the Capitol desecration, the rioters,” he told Fox Business.
“I don’t care if you go there and spread flowers on the floor. You breached Capitol security. You interrupted a joint session of Congress. You tried to intimidate us all. You should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and seeking forgiveness from these people would be wrong. I think it would destroy President Trump and I hope we don’t go that way. ”
Trump has already forgiven 94 people, most of them prominent figures caught in Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation of conspiracy with Russia. They include former Trump campaign president Paul Manafort, longtime friend Roger Stone and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who admitted to lying to the FBI.
U.S. news organizations said clemency should be issued on Trump’s last full day in office on Tuesday. Skipping the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Trump leaves on Wednesday morning to begin his post-presidency at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. His presidency ends at noon on Wednesday.