Giuliani: Trump is ‘not going to issue pardons’ during Mueller investigation

Rudy Giuliani said Sunday that President Trump does not plan to pardon his allies implicated in the special counsel’s investigation while it is still ongoing, but did not rule out the possibility of pardons after the probe concludes.

“The president has issued no pardons in this investigation. The president is not going to issue pardons in this investigation,” Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“My advice to him, you know, as long as I’m his lawyer, is not to do it,” he continued. “Because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of a very unfair investigation.”

.@JakeTapper: “If Manafort is convicted, will President Trump pardon him?”

Rudy Giuliani: “The President is not going to issue any pardons in this investigation … When it’s over? Hey, he’s the President of the United States, he retains his pardon power” https://t.co/NEYgsxa8QV

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 17, 2018

{mosads}

Giuliani went on to say that “when it’s over,” Trump can exercise his presidential pardon powers based on his judgment.

The specter of a presidential pardon has been prominent in the days since Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, was sent to jail on Friday after he allegedly tampered with a witness.

Manafort, who has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges of money laundering and tax fraud, will remain in jail pending his September trail.

Trump ripped Manafort’s “sentence” as “very unfair,” despite the fact that his former campaign chairman has not been convicted.

The White House has denied it is currently considering pardons for Manafort, Michael Flynn, Michael Cohen or other Trump allies caught up in criminal investigations.

However, Giuliani and others have frequently discussed the prospect of pardons with the media. On Friday, Giuliani suggested “things might get cleaned up” with pardons once the Mueller investigation concludes.

He disputed on Sunday that his frequent television appearances and comments about the president’s pardon powers are intended as a signal to Trump’s allies who are under criminal investigation.

“What I mean is you’re not going to get a pardon just because you’re involved in this investigation,” he said. “But you’re certainly not excluded from it if in fact the president and his advisers come to conclusion you’re treated unfairly.”