Trump was 'very attracted' to his pardoning powers when he became president: NYT reporter
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" to discuss a New York Times report on Donald Trump's questionable use of presidential pardons before he left office, the Times' Michael S. Schmidt revealed that the former president found the prospect of unfettered commutation of sentences and "attractive" perk that came with the job.
Discussing the deep dive into the Trump pardon — with the assistance of son-in-law Jared Kushner — of felon Jonathan Braun that "destroyed " a Department of Justice investigation into predatory lending, Schmidt explained that the former president found the ability to issue pardons a valuable tool when it came to securing the loyalty of others.
Speaking with the hosts he stated, "Trump was very attracted to the clemency powers, because it was almost an absolute power; he could do it unilaterally himself."
"[Former Attorney General] Bill Barr didn't like it — didn't matter," he added. "He could still do it, no one could get in the way. It would create instant loyalty between him and someone he gave a commutation or pardon to."
"What we know about Donald Trump, something that gives him enormous power and leverage over people is the commutations and pardons for the people who didn't cooperate with the Mueller investigation or the people who stood by his side and were part of helping to try to overturn the election," he elaborated. "Pardons and commutations haven't gotten a lot of attention because there's so much to look at, but there's a lot there."
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