The current US President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of pardoning himself. This became known to The New York Times .
According to two people familiar with the situation, Trump was thinking about his own pardon several weeks ago in the last days of his presidency. As the newspaper writes, this will become one of the most extraordinary and untested uses of presidential power in US history.
It is also stressed that Trump has expressed concern that the new authorities will attempt to persecute him after the current president leaves office.
The publication points out that no American president has previously pardoned himself, so the legality of the alleged pardon has never been verified in the justice system, and legal scholars disagree as to whether the courts recognize this. However, they agree that a presidential pardon could set a dangerous new precedent for presidents who unilaterally claim they are above the law and shield themselves from responsibility for any crimes they have committed in office.
At the end of December Trump pardoned the former head of his campaign headquarters Paul Manafort and former advisor to Roger Stone. Manafort and Stone were convicted as part of an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. In total, 26 citizens were included in the list, among them was the developer Charles Kushner, the husband’s father Ivanka Trump Jared Kushner . Three more Americans have received partial or full sentences commuted.