U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday declaring that he has “complete power to pardon,” as his administration continued to be bogged down by ongoing investigations of possible ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia.
Trump did not specify who, if anyone, he might consider pardoning. But his tweets appeared to be in response to Washington Post reports this week that Trump and his legal team have examined presidential powers to pardon Trump aides, family members and possibly even himself, reports Reuters.
Reuters has not independently confirmed the newspaper accounts.
“While all agree the U.S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS,” he wrote.
Scholars have raised questions about the scope of the president’s legal authority in issuing pardons. If sometime in the future Trump moved to pardon himself, the U.S. Supreme Court might have to decide on the constitutionality, some have speculated. [
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing by federal investigators who continue probes into Russia’s role in trying to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
A special counsel, Robert Mueller, is looking into any relationships or contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians last year during the hard-fought election with Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump traveled on Saturday to Norfolk, Virginia, where he spoke at a commissioning ceremony for the aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford.
In his remarks, Trump made no mention of the Russia controversy, focusing his speech on the need for more robust U.S. military spending.
Referring to the defense build-up he is seeking, Trump said, “We need Congress to do its job and pass the budget that provides for higher, stable and predictable funding levels for our military needs that our fighting men and women deserve and you will get.”
The new ship is named after the Republican president who held the White House from 1974-1977.
