THREAD: Donald Trump’s pardon of Dinesh D’Souza is another example of how he is laying the groundwork to pardon his way out of the Russia investigation. (1/7)
D’Souza is the third high-profile conservative figure Trump has pardoned for crimes that eerily presage the charges Mueller has brought or may bring in the future. (2/7)
First was Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who repeatedly defied court orders in the operation of his jail in Arizona—and who was a loyal and loud supporter of Trump’s during the 2016 campaign. (3/7)
cnn.com/2017/08/25/pol…
cnn.com/2017/08/25/pol…
Next was Scooter Libby, convicted in 2007 of obstructing justice and lying to investigators during the investigation into the Valerie Plame leak—or, as Kellyanne Conway described him, “a victim of a Special Counsel gone amok.” (4/7)
abcnews.go.com/Politics/white…
abcnews.go.com/Politics/white…
Now, it’s D’Souza, the pro-Trump conservative commentator and conspiracy theorist who pleaded guilty in 2014 to campaign-finance violations. (5/7)
cnbc.com/2018/05/31/tru…
cnbc.com/2018/05/31/tru…
It’s no secret that Trump sees pardons as a potential tool; in March, the New York Times reported that his lawyers had already dangled the prospect of pardons for Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort. (6/7)
mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/us/…
mobile.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/us/…
Add in his statement from July that he has “complete power to pardon” and the message is clear: Trump is ready to hand out pardons for obstructing justice, defying the courts, and violating election law to those who remain loyal to him. (7/7)
cnn.com/2017/07/22/pol…
cnn.com/2017/07/22/pol…
