Trump has already issued some provocative pardons, which were arguably abuses. Pardoning Manafort, however, would push this dynamic to the breaking point.<\/b>
\nIn one corner, we see Special Counsel Robert Mueller pressuring Paul Manafort, Donald Trump\u2019s felonious former campaign chairman. In the other corner, we see the president himself, who seemed to send his former aide a not-so-subtle signal during an interview today with the New York Post.
Trump added, \u201cYou know, this flipping stuff is terrible.\u201d It remains deeply odd to see a president repeatedly condemn a common and effective law-enforcement tool .
In the same interview, Trump went on to say, \u201cI\u2019m telling you, this is McCarthyism. We are in the McCarthy era. This is no better than McCarthy. And that was a bad situation for the country. But this is where we are. And it\u2019s a terrible thing,\u201d
Every time the president tries to talk about McCarthyism, which is often, it\u2019s worth noting that Trump doesn\u2019t understand the issue nearly as well as he thinks he does.
Regardless, these new comments are brazen \u2013 and by some measures, scandalous \u2013 for a specific reason.
The man who oversaw the president\u2019s political operation, who\u2019s already a convicted felon, is a potential witness against Trump. And yet, there\u2019s the president, publicly dangling the possibility of a pardon at a critical time in the investigation.
It wasn\u2019t long ago that moves like these were seen as possible grounds for impeachment .
None of this, of course, is coming out of the blue. Trump\u2019s legal team has broached the subject before, as evidenced by Rudy Giuliani\u2019s reported comments in August, when he was quoted saying that Manafort \u201cis hardly a menace to society.\u201d
The president himself was asked about the possibility of a pardon in June. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about that,\u201d Trump said at the time, before quickly adding, \u201cBut look, I do want to see people treated fairly. That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d
Trump has already issued some highly provocative pardons, which were arguably abuses of his presidential power. Pardoning Manafort, however, would push this dynamic past the breaking point.<\/p>\n