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Added on the 01/12/2020 19:15:23 - Copyright : Wochit
An associate of Rudy Giuliani allegedly told a former CIA operative seeking a pardon that it would cost $2 million. According to Business Insider, Giuliani disputes the ex-CIA officer's account, saying he doesn't remember the meeting. The personal lawyer to President Donald Trump also told the New York Times that helping someone obtain a pardon would be a conflict of interest. The Times reported that several people with connections to Trump have accepted large sums of money from people seeking pardons. Trump is facing criticism for using pardons primarily to reward his allies, fellow Republican politicians, and people close to his family.
Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh has deactivated his Twitter account. Limbaugh's choice to step off Twitter follows the permanent suspension of President Trump's account by the company. Limbaugh is one of a handful of high-profile Trump supporters who closed or lost their Twitter accounts following the Capitol Hill insurrection. Twitter has also suspended the accounts of Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn, pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, and Ron Watkins. Business Insider reports Limbaugh has praised the rioters as being in the same class as Revolutionary War heroes Thomas Paine and Samuel Adams.
President Donald Trump has been asking aides and lawyers about his self-pardon power. This includes White House counsel Pat Cipollone, according to CNN. Some of those conversations have happened in recent weeks, one of the sources says. Trump has asked about the legal and political consequences of a self-pardon. A Justice Department legal memo says the president cannot pardon himself. However, he can step down and ask his vice president to take over and pardon him.
Business Insider is reporting that President Donald Trump has pardoned his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort. Manafort was investigated by Robert Mueller during his probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election. Manafort was convicted of eight counts of tax and bank fraud. Manafort also later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and another count of obstruction. A federal judge voided the plea deal after finding that he lied to prosecutors after agreeing to cooperate. Manafort was sentenced last year to 7 1/2 years in prison for his crimes. The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that he represents a "grave counterintelligence threat" to the US.
President Donald Trump has pardoned former national security advisor Michael Flynn. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that Flynn would receive a "full pardon." Business Insider reports that Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with Sergey Kislyak, then Russia's ambassador to the US. Flynn initially cooperating with prosecutors. Then, he shook up his legal team and took a more combative stance against the Justice Department. He accused them of entrapment and moving to withdraw his guilty plea.