The US Department of Justice is investigating possible bribes in exchange for presidential pardons, according to court documents to which media such as Reuters agency had access. This US department, which in Portugal corresponds to the Attorney General’s Office, will have obtained evidence that a bribery scheme was created within the White House in which someone “offered a contribution [financeira] significant policy in exchange for a presidential pardon or suspension of sentences ”.
There will be 18 pages, about half of which are strikethrough – the version seen by the press contains a not very detailed explanation of how the alleged scheme will have worked (or will be working) and has no names of people potentially involved and who are under investigation. authorities. It can be read, however, that a possible “secret scheme of lobbying”In which two people worked as lobbyists with officials of the White House, without this work being registered in a transparent manner, as required by the legislation governing lobby in the USA.
Although there was nothing in the document, there was a Justice Department source who said, quoted by Reuters, that no administration official is or has been under investigation. But there was a request for authorization requested from Judge Beryl Howell, who is in this process, to read emails exchanged between lawyers and their clients – a request that was accepted because the judge considered that the confidentiality provided for in this case does not apply for the attorney-client relationship. Under this investigation, “more than 50” computer devices, such as portable computers and iPads, were seized.
Donald Trump has, like any U.S. President, the ability to grant pardons without needing to justify when he does. Just last week, he granted a pardon to his former adviser Michael Flynn and had previously done the same to his friend Roger Stone. Tonight Tuesday, the NY Times reported that Trump may be considering granting “early pardons” to people like his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, his sons Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka, as well as her husband (Jared Kushner).
It is not entirely clear what type of crimes the Department of Justice (under Biden) might try to imput to these people, namely daughter Ivanka, but around Donald Trump Jr., for example, there are suspicions – which never resulted in an accusation – of that Trump’s son may have contacted Russian agents who offered compromising materials about Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign. Rudy Giuliani is said to have been under investigation by the Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office over his business in Ukraine and the dismissal of an ambassador. American in that country.
Donald Trump has already reacted to this news via Twitter, saying it is a fake news.
Pardon investigation is Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2020
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