A former Watergate prosecutor says that Donald Trump’s assertion that he has the “absolute right” to grant himself a pardon is “very scary” and worse than some of the authoritarian language used by Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Jill Wine-Banks said Trump’s recent rhetoric is “much more dangerous” than Nixon’s because he is actually still in power to act on these frightening impulses.
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Former Watergate prosecutor calls Trump pardon power claims “very scary.” #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/RetudRX6FU
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— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 5, 2018
Jill Wine-Banks said:
The president is exerting powers that are not only non-existent for the president, but are more like something that an emperor who has no clothes might claim, because it is ridiculous to have said any of these things. And it’s very much like what Richard Nixon said, as you quoted him tonight, “If I do it, it’s not illegal.” But I would like to point out that Richard Nixon didn’t say that until after he had been forced to resign. So it’s much more dangerous to have a president who is actually in office now saying that he has that power. That is very scary. It is delusional thinking of a would-be dictator. It is not appropriate for the president’s lawyers to be saying that.
Nixon’s worst claim came after he was forced from office
As the former Watergate prosecutor pointed out, Nixon’s claim that crimes are “not illegal” when the president commits them came after he had already resigned.
Trump’s warped and dangerous view of his powers come at a time when he still sits in the Oval Office.
In other words, if Robert Mueller’s investigation reveals incriminating dirt on the president and his campaign, Trump could actually try to assert the limitless powers he thinks he has.
Not only is that more dangerous than the Watergate-era rhetoric spewed by Nixon, but if acted upon, it would most certainly lead to a constitutional crisis.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
