MIXED messages are a hallmark of the Donald Trump presidency. So it is no surprise that in the wake of a Washington Post story on July 20th depicting Mr Trump as curious about the extent of his pardon power, contradictory spins emerged from different corners of the White House. Jay Sekulow, Mr Trump’s lawyer, flatly denied the report that, under investigation for suspicious ties to Russia, the president is looking into ways to shield his aides and himself. “We have not and I continue to not have conversations with the president of the United States about pardons”, Mr Sekulow said on July 23rd. But a day earlier, the president tweeted his belief that “all agree the US president has the complete power to pardon”.
Mr Trump, no authority on the constitution, may have come to that conclusion all on his own. If he or his team had looked into the range of expert views on the subject, a more nuanced take would have emerged. Article II, section 2 of America’s constitution says presidents “shall have power to grant...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2uU4f7T
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