The president continued Wednesday to avoid explicitly ruling out a pardon, telling reporters he had “not even given it a thought as of this moment.”
On the heels of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort being sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Wednesday, Democrats strongly warned the president not to issue a pardon, with some telling Newsweek that such an act could be viewed as having an ulterior motive to influence those enveloped in the Russia probe.
Just minutes after his sentencing, Manafort was slapped with a Manhattan grand jury indictment for 16 additional charges involving residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records. However, since those are state charges, Manafort would not be subject to a presidential pardon, should he be convicted.
Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort checks the podium before the Republican presidential candidate speaks during an event at Trump SoHo Hotel, in New York, on June 22, 2016. Democrats strongly warned the president not to issue a pardon for Manafort, after he was sentenced to more than seven years of prison. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Should Congress or authorities find evidence Trump issued a pardon in lieu of Manafort not cooperating, Cicilline said he would consider it “an impeachable offense.” “More unilateral use of executive power and really questionable circumstances would, I think, really galvanize a reaction here in Congress,” he said. “We can’t affect his pardon power, but we would view it as a sign of a guilty conscience.”
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