Senate Republicans want nothing more than for President Trump and his legal team to stop talking about whether he can pardon himself despite their repeated claim that he, along with his campaign, did nothing wrong during the 2016 presidential contest.
While many Republicans believe it is an open question as to whether Trump can actually pardon himself, they are more astounded and concerned that talk of self-pardon is even being bandied about publicly after the president and his legal team made the declaration.
“I don’t know why we’re talking about it, honestly,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “We’re about to go into the North Korean summit, we’ve got to deal with immigration. I don’t know — you’d have to ask [the president]. I don’t know why Rudy [Guiliani] brought it up.”
The president brought up the issue Monday in a tweet a day after Rudy Guiliani, a member of the president’s legal team, said in an interview Sunday that Trump would “probably” be able to pardon himself, although he ultimately wouldn’t make such a move. Giuliani cited the presidential power to pardon and argued there are no limitations on that power.
Both Trump and his lawyer have maintained Trump’s innocence as they ramp up attacks at special counsel Robert Mueller. Their comments follow reports that Trump’s legal team sent a letter to Mueller in January arguing that the president cannot be charged with obstruction of justice and should not be interviewed by special counsel investigators.
“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 tweeted.
Although the president and Giuliani denied that a self-pardon would ever actually happen, the comments set off alarm bells within the Senate GOP. Many believe such a move would have dire political consequences for all parties involved.
“There’s no doubt that if the president were ever to pardon himself, it would have catastrophic implications for him and for our country,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Graham said a self-pardon would be a “political disaster” for the party.
Additionally, some Republicans have taken aim at the president’s legal team and Giuliani for saying Trump could potentially pardon himself.
“If I were president and some lawyer told me that I could do that, I’d hire a new lawyer,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The federal Russia investigation, which Trump has repeatedly referred to as a “witch hunt,” recently eclipsed the one-year mark.
While Republicans want the chatter to die down, they admit that the self-pardon question is an open one. When asked by reporters if the president has the ability to do so, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, thought through the question for 17 seconds before saying it’s “not a constitutional issue I’ve studied.” Other Republicans toed a similar line.
“To me, it’s an interesting legal question if you’ve got time on your hands. But let’s hope we don’t get there. I don’t know why it’s particularly relevant at this point,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “The president, as we know, likes to tweet. That’s his prerogative.”
“If he asked me my opinion … I would gently suggest to him that tweeting less would not cause brain damage,” Kennedy added.
