Trump's plan to pardon 'Scooter' Libby sends a message to witnesses in Mueller probe

By James Hohmann April 13 at 9:09 AM

THE BIG IDEA:

President Trump’s plan to pardon Lewis “Scooter” Libby is the latest signal to his associates that he has the power and inclination to reward those who stay loyal during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Libby was convicted of four felonies, including obstruction of justice and perjury before a grand jury, related to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame during his time as Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000.

Richard Painter, who was the chief ethics lawyer in George W. Bush's White House from 2005 to 2007, tweeted: “So what’s the message here? Lie to a grand jury to protect political superiors and you will get a full pardon?”

Remember, Trump’s lawyer reportedly told attorneys representing Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn last year that the president might be willing to pardon his former senior aides if they faced criminal charges stemming from the investigation into Russia’s election interference.

-- Trump has already rewarded one political ally with a pardon. Last August, the president used the power invested in him by the Constitution to pardon Joe Arpaio. He developed a kinship with the ex-Arizona sheriff when they were prominent leaders of the “birther” movement, which falsely accused Barack Obama of being from Kenya. Arpaio campaigned with Trump in Iowa before the caucuses and stayed loyal to him during the depths of the campaign, which might have been a factor in him losing reelection in November 2016.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2018/04/13/daily-202-trump-s-plan-to-pardon-scooter-libby-sends-a-message-to-witnesses-in-mueller-probe/5ad01f9530fb046acf7bcc37