President: Manafort pardon ‘not off table’
Critics slam remarks as Trump sharpens attack on Russia probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday a pardon for Paul Manafort is “not off the table” — a comment that drew swift rebuke from critics who fear the president will use his executive power to protect friends and supporters caught up in the Russia probe.
The president’s discussion of a possible pardon in an interview with the New York Post came days after special counsel Robert Mueller said Manafort had breached his plea deal by repeatedly lying to investigators. The former Trump campaign chairman denies that he lied.
Trump’s remarks are the latest sign of his disdain for the Russia investigation, which has dogged him for two years and ensnared members of his inner circle. In recent weeks, the president, armed with inside information provided to his lawyers by Manafort’s legal team, has sharpened his attacks, seizing on what he claims are dirty tactics employed by the special counsel and accusing investigators of pressuring witnesses to lie.
In the interview, Trump likened the Russia probe to Sen. Joe McCarthy’s pursuit of alleged communists in the 1950s.
“We are in the McCarthy era. This is no better than McCarthy,” Trump told the newspaper.
When asked about a pardon for Manafort, Trump told the newspaper: “It was never discussed, but I wouldn’t take it off the table. Why would I take it off the table?”
Mueller this week said Manafort could face additional charges related to lies they say he told investigators in the nearly three months since he cut a plea deal.
Neither Manafort nor Mueller’s team has said what Manafort is accused of lying about. But a federal judge set a hearing for Friday in which she will hear from both sides about next steps in the case. That hearing could yield new details about the status of the Russia probe.
Manafort faces up to five years in prison on the two charges in his plea agreement — conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. He faces a separate sentencing in Virginia set for February after he was convicted on eight felony counts during a trial last summer.