The Law Won't Stop Donald Trump

As FBI director Robert Mueller starts his investigation into Donald Trump’s Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer to discuss dirt on Hillary Clinton, many are wondering if Trump will use the power of a presidential pardon to force prosecutors to stop the investigation. Ryan Reilly, a Huffington Post Senior Justice Reporter, argues that the only thing stopping President Trump from pardoning his family members or himself, is the likelihood of political backlash. Reilly also claimed that, “the Russian probe has already had an effect on his political standing,” and a preemptive pardon would spark criticism and cause many people to jump to the conclusion that whoever received the pardon committed a crime. Earlier this year in March, Trump even proclaimed that pleading the Fifth amendment was an admission of guilt, stating, “if you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

Even though there has been no public indication that President Trump is actually considering preemptively pardoning his son, Donald Trump Jr., or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, The Washington Post recently reported that Trump had discussions with his aides about how presidential pardons work. As indicated in his article’s title, Reilly argues that the law can’t stop Donald Trump from providing a presidential pardon for himself, his family, or his campaign staff, but political repercussions might.

Ryan Reilly’s intended audience for this article is American citizens. There has been a lot of news surrounding Donald Trump Jr.’s secret meeting with a Russian lawyer, and the author uses this article to inform the public of Trump’s ability to grant a presidential pardon for those involved in the investigation. While I believe that many citizens have been informed about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting, I think this article informs readers that Trump has the ability to interfere in the FBI investigation.