Giuliani is said to have discussed a possible pardon with Trump.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer who has
led the most extensive efforts to damage his client’s political rivals and
undermine the election results, discussed with the president as recently as
last week the possibility of receiving a pre-emptive pardon before Mr. Trump
leaves office, according to two people told of the discussion.
It was not
clear who raised the topic. The men have also talked previously about a pardon
for Mr. Giuliani, according to the people. Mr. Trump has not indicated what he
will do, one of the people said.
Mr.
Giuliani’s potential criminal exposure is unclear. He was under investigation
as recently as last summer by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for his business
dealings in Ukraine and his role in ousting the American ambassador there, a
plot that was at the heart of the impeachment of Mr. Trump.
Mr.
Giuliani did not respond to a message seeking comment. Christianne Allen, his
spokeswoman, said, “Mayor Giuliani cannot comment on any discussions that he
has with his client.”
Mr.
Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, said, “He’s not concerned about this
investigation, because he didn’t do anything wrong and that’s been our position
from Day 1.”
A spokeswoman
for Mr. Trump did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Such a
broad pardon pre-empting any charge or conviction is highly unusual but does
have precedent. George Washington pardoned plotters of the Whiskey Rebellion,
shielding them from treason prosecutions. In the most famous example, Gerald R.
Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon for all of his actions as president. Jimmy
Carter pardoned thousands of American men who illegally avoided the draft for
the Vietnam War.
Mr. Trump
has wielded his clemency powers liberally in cases that resonate with him
personally or for people who have a direct line to him through friends or
family, while thousands of other cases await his review.
Last week
he pardoned his former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn broadly for
potential legal troubles beyond the charge he had faced of lying to federal
investigators. The move raised expectations that Mr. Trump will bestow clemency
on other associates in his final weeks in office.
— Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmid
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