USA: Does Trump have power to pardon himself? It's complicated

President Donald Trump has declared that he has the “absolute right” to issue a pardon to himself. Yet the law is much murkier than his confidence suggests.

No president has attempted to pardon himself while in office, so if Trump tries to do so in the next six weeks, he will be venturing into legally untested territory without clear guidance from the Constitution or from judges. Legal experts are divided on an inherently ambiguous question that was left vague by the Founding Fathers and has never had to be definitively resolved in court.

Read more at: Does Trump have power to pardon himself? It's complicated

USA: The Criminal Investigation Trump Can’t Pardon His Way Out of Is “Significantly Escalating” - by Bess Levin

onald Trump has been fairly busy these days trying to overthrow the government, but when he gets a moment for other pursuits, there’s one, in particular, he’s devoted a significant amount of time to: presidential pardons, and all the ones he reportedly plans to give out to people “like Christmas gifts.” There are the ones for his adult children and son-in-law, of course, but Trump has also apparently claimed he plans to pardon “every person who ever talked to me.“ (Rudy Giuliani is hoping he’s included on that list.) And then, obviously, there’s the self-pardon he‘s said to have asked about numerous times. That would clearly be in keeping with Trump’s view of the presidency—that it’s all about enriching himself—though unfortunately for him, it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card. That‘s because it only covers federal matters and, at present, there’s an investigation in New York that’s presumably making him sweat out his Hawaiian Tropic self-tanner.

The New York Times reports that prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is probing the possibility Trump or Trump Organization employees committed financial crimes, have interviewed several employees from the president’s bank and insurance broker over recent weeks, “significantly escalating an investigation…that he is powerless to stop.” Lawyers working for Cy Vance are said to have questioned Deutsche Bank employees about the company’s processes for making lending decisions; while the interviews were not focused on the firm’s relationship with Trump, bank officials reportedly expect Vance‘s office to “summon them for additional rounds of more specific questions in the near future.” As the Times notes, employees of Deutsche Bank and Aon, the insurance broker, could be key witnesses, given that the companies have a long history with the president and could “offer investigators a rich vein of information about the Trump Organization.”

Read more at: The Criminal Investigation Trump Can’t Pardon His Way Out of Is “Significantly Escalating” | Vanity Fair

USA: Trump pardons Michael Flynn, former national security adviser, in tweet

President Donald Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday, taking direct aim in the final days of his administration at a Russia investigation that he has long insisted was motivated by political bias.

Read more at: Trump pardons Michael Flynn, former national security adviser, in tweet | PBS NewsHour

USA: Trump Confident He Can Pardon Himself

Trump claims 'absolute right' to pardon himself

For the complete report go to:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-pardon-himself-giuliani-russia-probe-mueller-1.4690400 Shared via the CBC News Android App

USA: 'A middle finger to America': What people are saying about Trump's first presidential pardon

President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa C0unty, Arizona, sheriff Joe Arpaio received some mixed reactions on Friday night, but lawmakers and civil-rights advocates largely condemned the move.

Arpaio, a staunch Trump supporter and compatriot in Trump’s yearslong and fruitless quest to disprove President Barack Obama’s citizenship, was found guilty last month of criminal contempt for violating the terms of a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case.

Here’s what other people are saying about Trump’s pardon of Arpaio:

Sen. John McCain of Arizona: Trump “undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law” with the Arpaio pardon.

Trump’s “pardon of fellow birther Arpaio makes mockery of rule of law, & says communities of color can be targeted & abused w/ total impunity,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Twitter.

Read more: 'A middle finger to America': What people are saying about Trump's first presidential pardon