President Trump’s legal team is looking into potential conflicts of interest within special counsel, Robert Mueller’s, investigative team and potential pardons for relatives and White House staff
ADVERTISEMENTPresident Trump’s legal team is looking into potential conflicts of interest within special counsel, Robert Mueller’s, investigative team and potential pardons for relatives and White House staff, according to reports.
Mueller has been tasked with determining if the president’s campaign team co-ordinated with Russia during the last election.
The new reports come on the heels of an interview with the New York Times, in which the president issued a public warning to Mr Mueller to stay out of his personal finances.
New York Times reporter, Michael S. Schmidt asked the president: “If Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia, is that a red line?” Maggie Haberman, also from the NYT, added: “Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is?”
Mr Trump answered: “I would say yeah. I would say yes.”
And according to a new Washington Post report, the president is now inquiring about his pardoning powers when it comes to aides, family members and even himself.
In a statement, Senator Mark Warner explained: “Pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line.”
It comes after a New York Times interview in which Mr Trump took aim not only at Mr Mueller but also Attorney Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. He said, if he had been told before Mr Sessions took the job he would have picked someone else.
Mr Sessions insisted that he would continue in his role as long as it was “appropriate.”
Analysts suggest that the once solid relationship between the President and Jeff Sessions is now split by controversy surrounding the Russia investigation.