Senator Warner has stated that if Trump interferes with the investigation into alleged Russian interference in American elections, it would be crossing a red line.
Taking to the Senate Floor, Democrat Mark Warner warned President Trump that firing Robert Mueller or pardoning anyone charged in the special counsel’s investigation would be crossing a “red line.” In theory, President Trump would be able to pardon those who have already pleaded guilty to crimes in the FBI’s ongoing investigation of alleged Russian interference in American elections.
Warner is no mere rank and file Democrat. Several Democrats have raised the possibility of impeachment or other measures. However, most of these threats came from lower ranking Democrats without the power needed to actually push through any such measures.
Warner, on the other hand, is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He is well-respected among his colleagues and holds considerable sway. It’d take extreme circumstances for Warner to actually strum up the support to take action against President Trump. Regardless, the strong rhetoric raised eyebrows across DC.
Let’s look at a longer excerpt of what Senator Warner said:
“Any attempt by this president to remove special counsel Mueller from his position or to pardon key witnesses in any effort to shield them from accountability or shut down the investigation would be a gross abuse of power and a flagrant violation of executive branch responsibilities and authorities. These truly are red lines and we simply cannot allow them to be crossed.”
While the comments fall short of a genuine threat, the rhetoric marks some of the strongest words to come out of Congress.
Is a Pardon on the Table for Flynn?
So could Trump actually pardon Flynn? Michael Flynn, a former high-ranking official in the Trump administration, has already pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI. Many believe that Flynn pleaded down to relatively low-level crimes in exchange for cooperation. What this might mean for the Trump administration remains unknown.
If President Trump felt so compelled, he could pardon any friends or family charged under federal law.
Rumors have increased in recent days that President Trump might move to either pardon Michael Flynn or that he might fire special counsel Robert Mueller. If Trump pardoned Flynn, he may no longer feel compelled to cooperate with the FBI.
Could Trump pardon Flynn? Almost certainly. It appears that only state-level charges and impeachments are beyond the president’s pardon authority. In other words, if President Trump felt so compelled, he could pardon any friends or family charged under federal law.
“We’ll see what happens. Let’s see.”– President Trump
The president is unlikely to take extreme measures in these regards, however. Doing so would likely encourage state prosecutors to seek out charges and could potentially spur Congress to pursue impeachment charges against the president.
In regards to pardoning Flynn, Trump has been evasive, simply staying, “We’ll see what happens. Let’s see.”
Can President Trump Fire Mueller?
So could President Trump fire Mueller? It appears to be under the president’s executive privilege powers. The Department of Justice is under the direct authority of the president. As such, the president can generally nominate high-ranking officials and remove them at his/her leisure.
So far, a number of Republicans have also expressed support for the investigations into alleged Russian interference in America’s elections. Quite simply, Russia has long been a bogeyman among more hawkish members of Congress.
However, President Trump has stated quite emphatically that he won’t fire Mueller. That statement alone will be very difficult to walk back.
