Trump’s niece says president will try and pardon himself as he doesn’t understand it’s admission of guilt
DONALD Trump’s niece said on Tuesday the the president will try and pardon himself as he doesn’t understand it represents an admission of guilt.
Mary Trump, 55, talked down about her estranged uncle Donald Trump as she was interviewed on CNN’s “Tonight”.
The 55-year-old author responded to TV journalist Don Lemon’s question about her uncle possibly pardoning himself and whether “it would be beneath him” to follow through with it.
Mary said: “Well, if he were a normal person, I suppose, but first of all, he probably doesn’t understand that a pardon is essentially an admission of guilt.
“And Donald is somebody for whom winning is the only thing that matters.
“It doesn’t mean you need to win fairly, just by any means necessary.”
“Because he thinks he always deserves to win, cheating, lying, stealing are all perfectly legitimate means towards that end.”
The interview comes as some have speculated that President Trump could try to pardon himself as a precautionary measure to cover the possibility of prosecution after he leaves office.
She then blasted her uncle as “delusional” – adding that “it makes perfect sense if he’s willing to take credit for a stock market gain literally caused by the fact that Biden won.
Mary – who earlier this month insisted her uncle “won’t be able to run for president in 2024 because he’ll be in prison” – said President Trump is “perfectly capable of pardoning himself. Or trying to.”
She also admitted:”I have no doubt in my mind he’s going to toy with the idea of pre-pardoning people in his inner circle, even himself.”
Can a President pardon himself?
Some have speculated that President Donald Trump may attempt to pardon himself.
The pardon power comes from the US Constitution and is one of the broadest available to a president.
The nation’s founders saw the pardon power as a way to show mercy and serve the public good.
Pardons are typically given to people who have been prosecuted and can cover conduct that has not yet resulted in legal proceedings.
A pardon is not reviewable by other branches of government and the president does not have to give a reason for issuing one.
A pardon wipes out a criminal conviction, but only applies to federal crimes.
Mary expects the incoming Biden administration will have a lot on their hands – in regards to “fixing the mistakes of Donald’s administration.”
Her comments came the day before Joe Biden took the lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia on Friday, placing him within the finish line of declaring victory in the 2020 US Presidential Election.
Back in 2018, President Trump wrote to Twitter: “As 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!”
Trump has pardoned dozens of people while president, including controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Dinesh D’Souza, and Alice Johnson.
Just this week, the president was heckled with cries of “will you pardon yourself?” as he pardoned White House turkeys ‘Corn’ and ‘Cob’.
Just moments after Trump concluded the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation at the White House, reporters shouted out questions as the president and First Lady Melania walked away.
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“Pardons before leaving office. Will you be issuing a pardon for yourself,” one reporter is heard yelling out.
Another said: “Mr President, will you invite President-elect Biden?”
The reporters’ questions come as Trump is facing a series of legal challenges when he leaves the White House.