Power to Trump all

As probe goes on, President spruiks ability to issue pardons

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump says he has “complete power” to issue pardons, an assertion that comes amid investigations into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election.

It was one of many topics the President tweeted about but his message – which read “While all agree the US President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS” – adds intrigue in light of the election investigation.

The Washington Post recently reported Mr Trump has inquired about the authority he has as President to pardon aides, relatives or even himself in connection with the widening investigation into Russian interference in the election and whether any Trump associates were involved. Mr Trump maintains that no crimes have been committed.

One of Mr Trump’s attorneys said the President had not discussed the issue of pardons with his outside legal team.

News emerged yesterday that President Trump’s eldest son and his former campaign chairman won’t be forced to testify publicly this week and are instead discussing being privately interviewed by a Senate committee investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.

The Senate Judiciary Committee initially called for Donald Trump Jr and Paul Manafort to appear at a public hearing on Wednesday.

But the top Republican and Democrat on the panel now say the men are negotiating the terms of their appearances, and lawmakers don’t currently plan to issue subpoenas to compel their public testimony.

Also at the weekend, the President’s new communications adviser, Anthony Scaramucci, announced he was deleting old tweets that were at odds with Mr Trump’s views.

Mr Scaramucci said his own views had evolved and that what he said in the past shouldn’t be a distraction.