by WorldTribune Staff, June 9, 2023
Since Donald Trump’s trial on charges he was indicted for on Thursday is not likely to start until after the 2024 election, the former president can immediately pardon himself if he wins another term in the White House, law professor Jonathan Turley said.
In fact, Turley told Fox News host Jesse Waters, Trump could even make pardoning himself a top campaign position.
“Then there’s the final issue here which is going to get really wicked,” Turley said. “That is Trump could run on pardoning himself. You know, for people that feel that this is biased, that this is part of a pattern. He could turn this on his opponents and actually run on his right to pardon himself. So, if he’s elected, even if he’s convicted, he could pardon himself or he could do so before a trial occurs.”
Meanwhile, Republicans say it is no coincidence that Trump was indicted on the same day that Republicans gained access to an FBI document alleging Joe Biden was involved in a bribery scheme.
“Imagine being naive enough to believe that the Biden Bribe evidence and Trump indictment happening the same day was a coincidence,” Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida tweeted.
As if to distract the public’s attention to this conflict, on Friday, the 37-count indictment against the former president was unsealed unleashing a torrent of coverage and speculation about the national security implications of the documents removed from his residence after an unprecedented FBI raid.
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York said in a statement, “The exact same day that the FBI is forced to turn over to Congress absolutely damning and credible allegations regarding Joe Biden’s illegal, egregious, and treasonous corruption, Joe Biden weaponizes his Department of Justice to indict Donald Trump.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tweeted: “The DOJ indicting President Trump the same day House Oversight Members (to include me) saw documentation from the FBI stating that BIDEN AND his SON each received a wire transfer of $5 million from a foreign actor is not by accident.”
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida called it a “phony indictment”: “On the day members of Congress learn from an FBI document linking then VP Joe Biden to receiving $5 MILLION from Burisma in a pay-for-play scheme, Biden’s DOJ announces another phony indictment of the leading candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination, Biden’s likely opponent, and the former POTUS. This mob-like justice system is turning Lady Justice on its head and is the most significant threat to our democracy. Stand with President Trump.”
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted: “President Trump is indicted on the day we unveiled significant findings related to Joe Biden’s corruption. We ought to defund and dismantle the DOJ. I stand with President Trump.”
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted: “On the same day that a story broke about a whistleblower alleging Joe Biden took a 5 million dollar bribe from Burisma in Ukraine, Biden’s corrupt DOJ decides to indict Trump over BS charges. Do you really think that’s a coincidence?”
Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma tweeted: “Justice isn’t blind if millions in bribe money paid out to the Biden family continues to be swept under the rug by this Department of Justice and FBI while they focus on bogus charges against a former president and current candidate.”
A Navy veteran noted in a social media post: “So, members of the U.S. House get look at a Form 1023 which credibly declares that Joe Biden received $5 million while he was VP to change U.S. foreign policy. Quite apart from the fact that the VP has no such authority; it must come from the President, which clearly implicates Obama. On the same day the DOJ indicts Trump. Coincidence?”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told reporters what the document said:
“Back in 2015 and 2016, Burisma was looking to buy a U.S.-based oil and gas company and this came from being advised by Hunter Biden and his partners. … They hired Hunter on the board to make the problems go away, that’s what they specifically said.
“Hunter advised that they could make more money if they bought a U.S. company so the informant was trying to do the right thing and trying to advise Burisma that they shouldn’t go this route, they should hire an attorney, work out their problems that they were being investigated for, because they were having legal problems and that’s why they were being investigated by this prosecutor Shokin. …
“The owner of Burisma said that Hunter was stupid and that his other business partner was smart. He said that he paid $5 million to one Biden and he paid $5 million to another Biden. And it was all a bribery to get Shokin fired and end the investigation into Burisma. He also told the informant this is common practice in Russia and Ukraine. It’s common practice, it’s part of business there, that’s how their culture works, that they will pay bribery money in order to get business deals done, and that many businesses, they take that into account, they put it into their budget basically, when they’re preparing to buy another company or start another company, that that’s just normal. And so over in Ukraine, for them to consider hiring Hunter Biden on their board, in order to make their problems go away — which was the prosecutor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma for corruption and legal problems — this was definitely illegal for a vice president of the United States and their family members.
“The informant had asked the owner of Burisma if he was happy that Trump won and he said no, he was not happy. Remember he had invested a lot of money into the Bidens to make his problems go away. But [the owner of Burisma] did say it would take 10 years for all of us to find out the payments made to the Bidens, because of how many bank accounts there were. He said at the time there were no direct payments made to the ‘big guy,’ but in a meeting later after he had become more upset as things were unfolding, he told the informant that he has two pieces of evidence showing proof of payment to Hunter and specifically Joe Biden.”
Membership . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish
Turley: Trial will be after election; If Trump wins he can pardon himself added by Editor Two on
View all posts by Editor Two →