Giuliani Says President Won’t Pardon Himself

June 4, 2018 Focus Washington Administration

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s lawyer, said over the weekend that Trump had a broad executive power, including the ability to pardon himself, but called the notion that he would do so ‘unthinkable.’

Asked whether the President has the ability to pardon himself, Giuliani responded, “He probably does. He has no intention of pardoning himself, but he probably — not to say he can’t.”

Giuliani’s comments on ABC’s “This Week” came less than a day after a story emerged that Trump’s legal team argued in a secret memo to the special counsel that the President has total control over all federal investigations, including that of Robert Mueller.

The 20-page letter also says Trump cannot be made to testify before the special counsel. Still, under current law, he can be subpoenaed in which case the President’s lawyers are determined to limit the scope of questions he would be asked. Giuliani said on Sunday that Trump wants to testify and that he may consider advising the president to speak to Mueller if “it will be brief,” and consist of “five or six points they have to clarify.”

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager similarly portrayed Trump as a cooperative witness, but one who will participate in an interview with Mueller only under certain favorable conditions.

“The President has been very clear. He has offered to sit down with the Mueller investigators, but he has said and the Giuliani team has said this, they want to understand what the scope of questions are going to be before they sit down and do that.”

However, while touting the President’s extensive powers, Giuliani asserted that Trump would ever make such a move as to pardon himself, which could lead to his impeachment. “It’s not going to happen. It’s a hypothetical point,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also pointed out that the pardon question was purely hypothetical, saying “there’s no way that’ll happen, and the reason it won’t is because then it becomes a political problem.”