Trump: Me the people

President Trump claimed Monday that he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself, although the matter has never been decided by the courts, and incorrectly asserted that the appointment of a special counsel is “unconstitutional.”

“As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?” he tweeted. “In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!”

Then he turned to Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling and whether Trump obstructed justice.

“The appointment of the Special Councel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!” he wrote about 30 minutes later, mis- spelling counsel. (He later sent a corrected tweet.)

The Supreme Court ruled 7-1 in June 1988 that the attorney general can appoint an “independent counsel” to investigate and prosecute federal officials.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was appointed by Trump, named Mueller the special counsel in May 2017 after the president fired FBI Director James Comey, who had been heading up the probe.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders swatted away questions about Trump’s “absolute right” by saying the maneuver isn’t needed because the president hasn’t done “anything wrong.”

The legal question over a president self-pardoning has never been taken up by the courts because no chief executive has ever tried it.

Legal experts who spoke to The Post about the issue were split. But Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt said it’s all conjecture until a court case tests the matter.