President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office of the White House on June 1, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
Jun 04, 2018
Echoing the tyrannical claim of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani in a Twitter outburst on Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself--a statement legal experts said is both factually inaccurate and dangerous.
\u201cAs has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1528115725
Responding to the president's tweet, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wrote, "You don't need to be a lawyer to understand why courts would never uphold a president's power to commit crimes and then pardon himself for them."
Other legal experts and commentators similarly disputed Trump's claim that he has a right to pardon himself--while also noting the "very, very disturbing" implications of the president's assertion.
\u201cJust noting that the logic of this tweet suggest that, if Trump did do something wrong, he would pardon himself. https://t.co/ucwoFND1Ow\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1528117870
\u201cI thought the whole point was that we don't have a king. https://t.co/WOCzdB59q1\u201d— Zack Ford (@Zack Ford) 1528117070
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Echoing the tyrannical claim of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani in a Twitter outburst on Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself--a statement legal experts said is both factually inaccurate and dangerous.
\u201cAs has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1528115725
Responding to the president's tweet, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wrote, "You don't need to be a lawyer to understand why courts would never uphold a president's power to commit crimes and then pardon himself for them."
Other legal experts and commentators similarly disputed Trump's claim that he has a right to pardon himself--while also noting the "very, very disturbing" implications of the president's assertion.
\u201cJust noting that the logic of this tweet suggest that, if Trump did do something wrong, he would pardon himself. https://t.co/ucwoFND1Ow\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1528117870
\u201cI thought the whole point was that we don't have a king. https://t.co/WOCzdB59q1\u201d— Zack Ford (@Zack Ford) 1528117070
Echoing the tyrannical claim of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani in a Twitter outburst on Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself--a statement legal experts said is both factually inaccurate and dangerous.
\u201cAs has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1528115725
Responding to the president's tweet, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wrote, "You don't need to be a lawyer to understand why courts would never uphold a president's power to commit crimes and then pardon himself for them."
Other legal experts and commentators similarly disputed Trump's claim that he has a right to pardon himself--while also noting the "very, very disturbing" implications of the president's assertion.
\u201cJust noting that the logic of this tweet suggest that, if Trump did do something wrong, he would pardon himself. https://t.co/ucwoFND1Ow\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1528117870
\u201cI thought the whole point was that we don't have a king. https://t.co/WOCzdB59q1\u201d— Zack Ford (@Zack Ford) 1528117070
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.