Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn’t do Trump any favors when she couldn’t deny that Trump tried to use promises of pardons to silence Russia investigation witnesses. In fact, her weak answers may help Mueller make the case against Trump.
Video of Sanders:
This is the opposite of a denial that Trump considered pardons for Flynn and Manafort. pic.twitter.com/48cNAUTNhp
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 28, 2018
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The White House Press Secretary was asked numerous times about the report that Trump’s lawyer John Dowd floated pardons for Flynn and Manafort to keep them from talking to Mueller.
She answered, “I can say that Ty Cobb is the person that would be most directly involved in this. He’s got a statement on the record saying there’s no discussion and no consideration of those at this time in the White House.”
That was not a denial of The New York Times story which states that Trump lawyer John Dowd tried to float the idea of presidential pardons for Flynn and Manafort to keep them from cooperating with the Special Counsel. Of course, Trump isn’t considering the pardons now. Flynn already flipped and Manafort is facing spending the rest of his life in prison.
Sanders stuck to Ty Cobb’s statement which was also a denial with a loophole in it that was big enough to drive a truck through. Sanders never denied that Trump had considered pardons in the past because she can’t deny it.
Innocent people issue strong blanket denials. Sarah Huckabee Sanders hurt Trump with the evasive non-answers that she gave. None of this helps Trump, but it is like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for investigators to follow. The denial from Sarah Huckabee Sanders only helps Mueller make a case for obstruction of justice against Donald Trump.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
