Trump asserts ‘absolute right’ to pardon self

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday asserted an “absolute right” to pardon himself, once again lashing out at a probe into possible collusion with russian election meddling and obstruction of justice.

“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?” he said on Twitter.

“In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!”

It was believed to be their st time trump himself has asserted the power, although his lawyers have taken an expansive views of the president’s prerogatives, including the right to pardon.

A trump lawyer, rudy giulia ni, argued on Sunday that the president “probably” had the power to pardon himself, but doing so would have “tough” political ramifications. In a letter to Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the Russia meddling, the president’ s lawyers argued in January that Trump “could, if he wished, terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon if he so desired.”

Giuliani made it clear that it would combat any effort to force the president to testify in front of a grand jury.

On Sunday Giuliani underscored one of the main arguments in a newly unveiled letter sent by Trump’s lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller back in January: that a president can’t be given a grand jury subpoena as part of the investigation into foreign meddling in the 2016 election.

But Giuliani, in a series of television interviews, broke with one of their bolder arguments in the letter that a president could not have committed obstruction of justice because he has ultimate authority over any federal investigation.

He also played down the possibility that Trump could pardon himself, suggesting he might have that authority but would be unwise to use it.

“Pardoning himself would be unthinkable and probably lead to immediate impeachment,” Giuliani told NBC’S “Meet the Press.”

‘’And he has no need to do it, he’s done nothing wrong.”

Yet the former New York City mayor, who was not on the legal team when the letter was written, added that Trump “probably does” have the power to pardon himself, an assertion challenged by legal scholars. He says the president’s legal team hasn’t discussed that option, which many observers believe could plunge the nation into a constitutional crisis.