Trump: 'President Has Complete Power to Pardon'

President unleashes early morning tweetstorm
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2017 10:13 AM CDT
Trump: 'President Has Complete Power to Pardon'
President Trump waves as he boards Air Force One on Saturday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland en route to Virginia's Naval Air Station Norfolk to attend the commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"The US President has the complete power to pardon," President Trump claimed early Saturday during what USA Today characterizes as a "tweetstorm" and "tweet-o-rama." Trump sent 10 tweets in a span of two hours, starting at 6:30am. Out of those 10 tweets, perhaps none got more attention than this one: "While all agree the US President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS." The tweet comes days after reports Trump was asking about his ability to pardon aides, his family, and maybe himself in regards to the Russia investigation. While legal scholars debate whether a president can pardon himself, the matter appears more settled for Trump, the New York Times reports.

In the series of tweets, Trump went on to attack the "Amazon Washington Post" for "illegal leaks" in regards to Friday's story about Jeff Sessions possibly discussing campaign activities with the Russian ambassador, "Crooked Hillary Clinton" for her "acid washed" emails, and James Comey for his "many ... crimes." Trump lauded his son for "openly" releasing emails regarding a meeting with a Russian lawyer—though the Washington Post notes Donald Trump Jr. only released those emails once the Times was preparing to report on them. Trump wrapped up his early morning tweeting by declaring ObamaCare "dead" and saying Republican senators "must step up to the plate and ... vote to repeal and replace." (More Donald Trump stories.)

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