Trump Tweets He Has ‘Absolute Right’ To Pardon Himself

Twitter is on fire this morning after President Donald Trump sent out a tweet at 5:25 a.m. saying he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself.  He said his position is supported by “numerous legal scholars,” but none of them can be found, and if they do exist they are keeping quiet.

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The president is also continuing to carry on his crusade against Bob Mueller and the “angry Democrats” who he believe have a conspiracy to meddle in the 2018 midterm elections.

“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!”

This is not the first time and probably won’t be the last time that Trump has tweeted outrageous things, but his assertion that he can self pardon takes the deranged discussion to an entirely new level.

Over the weekend Trump attorney and media spokesman Rudy Giuliani was all over the airwaves proclaiming that the president has legal authority to pardon himself — until he later backed down and changed his mind.

This morning’s assertion by the president made many knowledgeable people want to start tearing their hair out in frustration and outrage.  Instead, they posted their replies to Trump on Twitter.

Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, for example, posted a photo of the nine Supreme Court Justices and wrote:

“Donald Trump believes he is above the law, beyond the reach of indictment and empowered with the absolute right to subvert investigations and pardon himself. He is legally wrong on all counts. Don’t believe me? Then go ahead. Make their day.”

Steven Dennis from Bloomberg posted an image and link showing Department of Justice rules clearly stating that a president CANNOT pardon himself:

“Under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the President cannot pardon himself.” Aug. 5, 1974 DOJ opinion, 4 days before Richard Nixon resigned. It’s right there on the DOJ website: https://www.justice.gov/file/20856/download …“

Others correctly said that the internet was “stunned” by Trump’s insance proclamation:

“‘Holy f*ckballs’: Internet stunned by Trump’s ‘insane’ boast that he can pardon himself for anything”

California Democratic congressional candidate Mike Levin got it right by saying:

“Now the president says he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself. Republicans in Congress stay silent. No inquiry. No scrutiny. No thought of any kind. Not because they believe in Trump’s judgment, but because they fear him.   That’s not democracy. That’s authoritarianism.”

He is so right.  Trump is trying take the United States further down the road of authoritarianism, and the Republicans in Congress who have the legal responsibility of oversight are completely abdicating this responsibility.

It is time for the Supreme Court, Robert Mueller, the Department of Justice and the entire U.S. law enforcement community to stand up to this petty despot in the White House.  They must make clear that in the United States power belongs to the people, and that the president is NOT above the law.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.