John Dowd resigned from Trump\u2019s legal team last week.<\/b>
\nPresident Donald Trump\u2019s former lawyer reportedly discussed the possibility of pardons for two of the president\u2019s former associates who have been charged in the special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.
John Dowd discussed potential pardons for Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort with their lawyers, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Flynn, Trump\u2019s former national security adviser, pleaded guilty in the special counsel probe to lying to federal agents. The special counsel also charged Manafort, Trump\u2019s former campaign chairman, with financial crimes including money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty. Dowd resigned as Trump\u2019s lawyer last week.
Related: Trump should pardon Flynn, who took \u2018the biggest fall,\u2019 family says
Dowd spoke about a pardon with Manafort\u2019s lawyer, Reginald Brown, before Manafort was indicted last October, according to the Times. The Times report did not specify exactly when Dowd spoke about a pardon with Flynn\u2019s lawyer, Robert Kelner. Dowd joined Trump\u2019s legal team last summer, and Flynn pleaded guilty in December.
Brown, who no longer represents Manafort, was not immediately available to comment to Newsweek. Kelner and a spokesman for Manafort also were not immediately available.
In comments to the Times, Dowd denied that he talked about pardons with the lawyers, saying, \u201cThere were no discussions. Period\u2026. As far as I know, no discussions.\u201d
Trump\u2019s lawyers Jay Sekulow and Ty Cobb also denied to the Times that they had been involved in any talks about pardons.
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Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, leaves his plea hearing at the Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D. C., on December 1,2017. A lawyer for Trump reportedly discussed potential pardons for Flynn and Paul Manafort. Chip Somodevilla\/Gett
Last year, The Washington Post reported that Trump had asked the White House Counsel\u2019s Office about his authority to grant pardons, including whether he could issue one for himself. No United States president has ever done so but governors have.
And in comments to reporters in December, Trump hinted at the possibility that he might pardon Flynn. Responding to a question on that subject, he told reporters, \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet. We\u2019ll see what happens. Let\u2019s see.\u201d
Less than two weeks later, Flynn\u2019s brother, Joseph Flynn, tweeted at Trump, \u201cAbout time you pardoned General Flynn who has taken the biggest fall for all of you given the illegitimacy of this confessed crime in the wake of all this corruption.\u201d
He soon deleted the tweet but told Newsweek, \u201cI stand by my tweet. This is all my personal opinion, and I stand by it.\u201d
Hours later, Flynn\u2019s brother posted a new tweet saying, \u201cMr. President, I personally believe that a pardon is due to General Flynn, given the apparent and obvious illegitimacy of the manner in which the so called \u2018crimes\u2019 he plead (sic) guilty to were extracted from him.\u201d He added, \u201cI ask for quick action on this. Thank you and keep up the good work!\u201d
Last August, the president pardoned controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which analysts speculated was to signal that he was willing to do so in the special counsel probe.<\/p>\n

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