Trump's lawyer discussed idea of him pardoning Flynn, Manafort: report

[mystery-ak]

Trump's lawyer discussed idea of him pardoning Flynn, Manafort: report
By Rebecca Savransky - 03/28/18 01:31 PM EDT

A lawyer for President Trump reportedly discussed the possibility last year of the president pardoning his former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

The lawyer, John Dowd, who abruptly resigned from his role last week, broached the topic last year with lawyers for Flynn and Manafort, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

According to the Times, Dowd talked about the idea last year as special counsel Robert Mueller was building cases against Flynn and Manafort.

more
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/380665-trumps-lawyer-discussed-idea-of-trump-pardoning-flynn-manafort-report

[Frank Cannon]

Wow! So now fantasy becomes reality if The Hill reports what the NY Times makes up out of whole cloth. Fan-effing-tastic!

[Sanguine]

If I were president, I would want to know what the options were and the legality of each. 

[edpc]

After the idiotic tweet Dowd authored that opened Trump to possible obstruction charges, it doesn't seem unlikely he would have these conversations about pardons for Flynn and Manafort.


President Trump and lawyer John Dowd test potential for 'death by tweet'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/12/05/trump-and-his-lawyers-meeting-their-end-death-tweet-jonathan-turley-column/921330001/


Incidentally, at today's press briefing, Sanders was asked about a Manafort or Flynn pardon.  She said the president has pardon authority, but no pardons were being discussed with counsel.  She did not say they hadn't been preiviously with ex-counsel.

[Concerned]

If I were president, I would want to know what the options were and the legality of each.

Yes, and the political implications of each also.  Just doing some homework.

[edpc]

“I would refer you back to the statement from [White House lawyer] Ty Cobb and the report you’re asking about, in which he said, ‘I’ve only been asked about pardons by the press and have routinely responded on the record that no pardons are under discussion or consideration at the White House,’” Sanders told reporters in the briefing room.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-lawyer-pushed-pardons-michael-174636998.html

https://mobile.twitter.com/CBSNews/status/979060776043470849


That’s present tense and not a statement from the lawyer in question.  She's asked about the pardon by three different reporters in the first six minutes of the briefing today.  The answers keep referring to Cobb and considerations 'at this time.'  It sounds craftily evasive.


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