US President Donald Trump received a warning from his legal team over the weekend not to issue pardons to himself, his family and Republican Lawmakers who helped incite the mob attack on the capital, a new report claims.
In his final Saturday night in the White House, Trump’s legal advisers warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals if he carries them out.
He was also warned that pardons for Republican lawmakers who played a motivating role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate in an upcoming impeachment trial that could determine if he could ever run for public office again, according to the Washington Post.
The post reported that White House counsel Pat Cipollone and another attorney who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, Eric Herschmann, offered the grave warnings as Trump, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner listened while other lawyers joined in by telephone.
The lawyers all told Trump he should not pardon himself, his family or any GOP lawmakers in a prospective manner unless he was prepared to list specific crimes that they committed, hence Trump Drew up a final list of pardons and clemency to people like Lil Wayne and Steve Banning but none for himself or his family.
The report adds that Trump was hammering on the idea before the meeting but after the grave warning at the meeting on Saturday evening he put the idea to rest.
According to reports, several Republican lawmakers who are alleged to have been involved in the rally that preceded the deadly riot on the US Capitol have sought clemency from Trump before he leaves office.
According to another report from CNN, those who participated, organized and fundraised for it are also concerned, including his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who both spoke at the rally.
His legal team also urged him not to grant clemency to anyone who breached the US Capitol, despite Trump’s initial stance that those involved had done nothing wrong, the report from Washington Post added.
Trump faces legal challenges when he leaves office
His phone call to Georgia’s secretary of state urging him to “find” votes and his speech encouraging his crowd to “show strength” in their march to the Capitol will be legally questioned.
There are also New York state investigations into the President’s finances and multiple defamation lawsuits related to sexual assault accusations by women.
Theee are also allegations of insurance fraud and tax fraud.
A conviction in the Senate impeachment trial would limit his future political activities and strip him of pension, and some benefits granted to an ex-president.
