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- President Donald Trump on Wednesday retweeted a post in which Rep. Matt Gaetz called for the president to issue himself a pardon.
- "President Trump should pardon Flynn, the Thanksgiving turkey, and everyone from himself, to his admin, to Joe Exotic if he has to," tweeted Gaetz.
- There has been speculation that the president may indeed issue himself a pardon before leaving office.
- Though he has not been charged with any crimes, he faces a slew of investigations into his business practices.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump retweeted GOP ally Rep. Matt Gaetz calling for him to pardon "himself" and potentially more members of his administration before leaving office.
The post, from Wednesday, said: "President Trump should pardon Flynn, the Thanksgiving turkey, and everyone from himself, to his admin, to Joe Exotic if he has to."
The words were a repeat of what Gaetz had said in a Fox News interview he did earlier that day.
"The Left has a bloodlust that will only be quenched if they come for those who fought with @realDonaldTrump to deliver for the American people," he continued.
—Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) November 25, 2020
In the wake of Trump's defeat earlier in November in the presidential election, there is speculation that he may take an unprecedented step and preemptively pardon himself before leaving office in January.
Trump has not been charged with any crimes, but faces a slew of investigations when he leaves the White House, including a criminal probe by Manhattan's district attorney Cyrus Vance into his business affairs.
A presidential pardon would only shield him from federal investigations, not those being pursued by jurisdictions such as the one in New York.
The possibility that the president may seek to absolve himself pre-emptively has sparked debate among legal scholars over whether the move would be constitutional.
Some legal experts believing it would be struck down by the Supreme Court.
The only other president to have received a pardon was Richard Nixon, who got one from his successor, Gerald Ford, in 1974 after resigning over the Watergate scandal.
In his remarks, Gaetz appeared to be alluding to a New York Times report on Trump's decision to pardon former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who admitted to lying to FBI agents about his contact with Russian officials.
Contrary to Gaetz's claim, President-elect Joe Biden has said he would not seek to use the justice department to pursue investigations against Trump when he leaves office.
In its report, the Times noted speculation that the president will issue a series of pardons for former aides before leaving office.
It also claims he is being lobbied for a pardon by attorneys for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic, the convicted felon who is the subject of the Netflix crime documentary "Tiger King."
Presidents traditionally reserve their pardoning powers for criminals who are deemed to have been victims of a miscarriage of justice.
But Trump has been accused of wielding the power to shield former aides from punishment.
In July, the president issues a pardon for former advisor Roger Stone, who had been convicted of crimes in connection with the Russia probe.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3maj7Gr
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