Trump pardons conservative, says lifestyle maven Stewart may be next

[webfact]

Trump pardons conservative, says lifestyle maven Stewart may be next

By Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland

 

President Donald Trump on Thursday granted a pardon to conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to U.S. campaign finance law violations, and said he was considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart.

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned a conservative commentator and said he was considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart and commuting a former Illinois governor's prison sentence, prompting critics to accuse him of subverting the rule of law.

 

Trump announced on Twitter his decision to pardon pundit and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to U.S. campaign finance law violations and was an outspoken critic of Democratic former President Barack Obama, saying he had been "treated very unfairly by our government!"

 

The Republican president then told reporters on a flight to Houston he was also considering a pardon for Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements in an insider-trading probe.

 

James Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director last year and has repeatedly assailed, was the lead federal prosecutor in Stewart's case and played a role in the prosecution of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Trump pardoned Libby in April.

 

Trump also said he might commute the 14-year prison sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat convicted of corruption charges, and was considering pardoning a woman convicted of a drug-related charge after reality TV star Kim Kardashian discussed the case with him on Wednesday.

 

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, briefing reporters on Air Force One as Trump later flew to Dallas for Republican fundraising events, denied that celebrity was a consideration in whom the president decides to pardon.

 

"Look, there are plenty of people the president is looking at right now under the pardon process," he said.

 

The U.S. Constitution gives the president the power to issue pardons, and Trump sometimes has used that authority to benefit convicted figures revered by some on the political right such as former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and Libby.

 

After D'Souza's pardon, some constitutional scholars, legal analysts and Democratic lawmakers accused Trump of undermining the rule of law with pardons based on political considerations.

 

'SENDING A MESSAGE'

Critics said the president was sending a message to people caught up in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia, including his longtime private lawyer Michael Cohen, whose business dealings are separately under scrutiny in New York.

 

"Trump's Dinesh D'Souza pardon today, on top of his pardons of Scooter Libby and Joe Arpaio, make sense only as an elephant-whistle to Michael Cohen & all who know damning things about Trump: protect me & I'll have your back. Turn on me & your goose is cooked. More obstruction!" Harvard Law School constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe wrote on Twitter.

 

"As with the pardon of Joe Arpaio, Trump is sending a message that he will reward political allies for loyalty with get-out-of-jail-free cards," Democratic U.S. Representative Don Beyer said on Twitter. "He doesn't care about the rule of law."

 

Trump denies any collusion with Russia and has called Mueller's probe a "witch hunt."

 

D'Souza, 53, admitted in 2014 he illegally reimbursed two "straw donors" who donated $10,000 each to the unsuccessful 2012 U.S. Senate campaign in New York of Wendy Long, a Republican he had known since attending Dartmouth College in the 1980s.

 

He was sentenced to five years of probation after telling the judge he was ashamed of his actions and contrite. "I cannot believe how stupid I was, how careless, and how irresponsible," D'Souza wrote in a statement to the judge.

 

Some conservatives complained of selective prosecution of D'Souza. The prosecutor, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, was an Obama appointee later fired by Trump.

 

On Thursday, D'Souza thanked Trump in Twitter posts that also slammed Bharara. "KARMA IS A BITCH DEPT: @PreetBharara wanted to destroy a fellow Indian American to advance his career. Then he got fired & I got pardoned," D'Souza wrote.

 

Bharara earlier said on Twitter: "The President has the right to pardon but the facts are these: D'Souza intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologised for his conduct & the judge found no unfairness. The career prosecutors and agents did their job."

 

Stewart and Blagojevich both were involved with Trump's "Apprentice" reality TV television show.

 

Blagojevich was convicted of corruption offences including soliciting bribes for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat Obama vacated after being elected president in 2008.

 

Last August, Trump pardoned Arpaio less than a month after his conviction for criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling of Hispanics. Arpaio was known for his crackdown on illegal immigrants in Arizona's Maricopa County.

 

Libby was convicted in 2007 of lying in an investigation into the unmasking of a CIA agent.

 

Trump last week posthumously pardoned boxer Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight champion, who was jailed a century ago because of his relationship with a white woman.

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-01

[Samui Bodoh]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Trump's Dinesh D'Souza pardon today, on top of his pardons of Scooter Libby and Joe Arpaio, make sense only as an elephant-whistle to Michael Cohen & all who know damning things about Trump: protect me & I'll have your back. Turn on me & your goose is cooked. More obstruction!" Harvard Law School constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe wrote on Twitter.

Try as I might, I can't find a single reason to doubt or disagree with the paragraph quoted above.

 

Does anyone doubt that Trump will use the Pardon power for his personal benefit?

 

One has to respect the founders of the US and the people who wrote the US Constitution; few documents in history have held up so well over time. However, they made one giant mistake which is becoming clearer by the day; they never envisioned all the powers of the Presidency falling into the hands of a dishonourable man at the same time that members of Congress would shirk their oversight duties.

 

I have said it before and (sadly) need to say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

God help us all.

 

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

[kamahele]

Hmmmm, why would a president pardon someone who pleaded guilty, admitted his crime and did zero jail time? I wonder if this is a signal now to others who may testify in matters closer to his heart......

[Tug]

Just Donald letting his fellow conspirators know not to flip hopefully they can find some state laws that Donald has no power to subvert.even the trumpers have to see how guilty he looks!

[Bluespunk]

And so it begins...forget the law, as long as you say the right things and agree with the grand poobah of trumptopia’s jaundiced view of the world, you need not fear being held accountable for your actions. 

 

The final step towards a banana republic regime in the whitehouse. 

Edited June 1, 2018 by Bluespunk
Comma

[Chomper Higgot]

There’s at least a couple of questions that need to be answered before before anyone pins their hopes on a pardon from Trump:

 

Can the President issue a pardon to an individual who has not yet been convicted?

 

Can the President issue a pardon to an individual if he himself is a co-conspirator?

 

I doubt these questions will be answered in time for Trump to save himself and I doubt too he’ll issue any pardons to the multiple investigations he’s under, he’ll reserve these for himself and his family. We’ll then get answers to the two questions above.

 

The truth will (despite Trump’s best efforts) out.

[klauskunkel]

financial crimes and corruption are OK.

[Chomper Higgot]

Here’s the big legal question from my own personal point of view.

 

I have a vase that I bought at the IRS yard sale of Martha Stewart’s household belongings (a great day out).

 

Do Ihave to give it back if she gets a pardon?

[DM07]

President Dotard Trump seems not to have a full agenda to work on, if he constantly finds time for this crap!

[cycolista]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There’s at least a couple of questions that need to be answered before before anyone pins their hopes on a pardon from Trump:

 

Can the President issue a pardon to an individual who has not yet been convicted?

 

Can the President issue a pardon to an individual if he himself is a co-conspirator?

 

I doubt these questions will be answered in time for Trump to save himself and I doubt too he’ll issue any pardons to the multiple investigations he’s under, he’ll reserve these for himself and his family. We’ll then get answers to the two questions above.

 

The truth will (despite Trump’s best efforts) out.

Ford pardoned Nixon before Nixon was indicted, so yes he can.  Presidental pardon power is unlimited for federal crimes.  Cohen, if indicted will be indicted by the state of NY and therefore cannot be pardoned by Trump. 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, cycolista said:

Ford pardoned Nixon before Nixon was indicted, so yes he can.  Presidental pardon power is unlimited for federal crimes.  Cohen, if indicted will be indicted by the state of NY and therefore cannot be pardoned by Trump. 

I look forward to the twitter storm, trump will unleash when he finds out this is the case. 

[KhunFred]

I totally agree with pardoning Martha Stewart. Distort D'Nouza and the Sheriff of Nodding Ham are another matter entirely. Both of these men are extremely crazy.

 

[Srikcir]

The Swamp will be pardoned, not drained.

I don't remember that slogan in Trump's campaign.

[evadgib]

Who next? Snowden? Weiner?

[ballpoint]

35 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

The Swamp will be pardoned, not drained.

I don't remember that slogan in Trump's campaign.

The swamp will be drained out of the prisons and back into public life.

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

Who next? Snowden?

Two charges against him are made under the 1917 Espionage Act.

Basically he's charged as a spy.

I don't know if Trump would like the optic of pardoning an accused spy who incidentally lives in Russia.

[Credo]

Trump might want to tread carefully with his pardons.   During the Nixon Watergate scandal, he mentioned to Haldeman that he would pardon him.   Haldeman advised the president not to even talk about it.   The reason, was that when the tapes came out on that conversation much later, it could have and probably would have been a separate charge for impeachment because it was considered as obstructing justice.   

 

The President is signalling that if people don't testify against him, he will pardon them and that is obstruction.   

 

Interestingly, D’Souza was prosecuted in the same district where Cohen will be charged and tried.   Coincidence?   

[Credo]

Mother Of Santa Fe Shooting Victim: Meeting With Donald Trump ‘Was Like Talking To A Toddler’

When President Donald Trump on Thursday met with victims, families and others affected by the shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas, which left 10 people dead and 13 wounded, at least one parent was not impressed with his demeanor, continuing a pattern of the president failing to show empathy during tragedies.

Rhonda Hart, whose daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was among eight students who died in the shooting last month, told The Associated Press her conversation with Trump “was like talking to a toddler.” 

 

According to Hart, Trump repeatedly brought up arming teachers, a policy proposal he has frequently promoted after school shootings. 

 

Hart, an Army veteran ....

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-meeting-santa-fe-shooting-victims_us_5b114e84e4b0d5e89e1f139a

[IAMHERE]

22 hours ago, kamahele said:

Hmmmm, why would a president pardon someone who pleaded guilty, admitted his crime and did zero jail time? I wonder if this is a signal now to others who may testify in matters closer to his heart......

Because if you are poor and up against the might of the American judicial system, then the 'guilty' plea may well be your best option.  'They' can get you.

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, Credo said:

Interestingly, D’Souza was prosecuted in the same district where Cohen will be charged and tried.   Coincidence? 

D'Souza was prosecuted by Preet Bharara who is a close friend of former FBI director James Comey.  Coincidence?

Trump is now considering a pardon for Martha Stewart. She was prosecuted by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York James Comey.  Coincidence?

Trump has politically weaponized presidential pardons that amounts to abuse of power.

[mikebike]

45 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Because if you are poor and up against the might of the American judicial system, then the 'guilty' plea may well be your best option.  'They' can get you.

???

 

Are you claiming D'Souza was poor?

 

[Credo]

37 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

D'Souza was prosecuted by Preet Bharara who is a close friend of former FBI director James Comey.

Coincidence?

Trump is now considering a pardon for Martha Stewart. She was prosecuted by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York James Comey.  Coincidence?

Trump has politically weaponized presidential pardons that amounts to abuse of power.

If the pardons can be seen as a way to send a message to those who could testify against him, then it goes further than abuse of power, it is obstruction of justice.