Sitting in on an MSNBC panel on Saturday morning speculating on how Donald Trump will use his pardon power early in 2020, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance predicted the president will pardon a convicted GOP lawmaker from California as a "message" top former aides in jail or headed there that they can expect one too -- if they stay quiet.
Speaking with host Joy Reid, Joyce Vance called her to pick of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) an "outlier" -- but one that has implications for Trump associates down the line.
"My pick is a pardon for Congressman Duncan Hunter, California congressman, conservative from San Diego, one of President Trump's first supporters in Congress," Vance explained. "You may remember that Hunter was indicted for abusing campaign funds -- this was the guy who went out to golf courses and bought himself clothing in the pro shop claiming that it was money being used as a donation for Wounded Warriors projects."
"He'll be convicted -- or he's pleaded guilty," she continued correcting herself. "He'll be sentenced in early February and I think that there may be a high political cost to the president for issuing a pardon to [Paul] Manafort, to [Michael] Flynn, to [Roger] Stone, too early in the game."
"But the president loves the pardon power, and a pardon of Hunter would be a great way to signal to these other people that they should stay loyal, that they shouldn't offer testimony during impeachment that would damage the president, that he will use the pardon power to help them out when the time comes, just not too early," she suggested. "So, I think we might see a pardon like this, much like he dangled pardons during the Mueller investigation period as a way of messaging to his people to stay strong, to stay loyal, to stay in his camp."
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