Trump Will Seemingly Comply with Giuliani and Sidney Powell Authorized Recommendation About Pardoning Himself: Ex-DOJ Official

Donald Trump is likely to continue bypassing the DOJ for more apologies while he prepares to leave office, according to a former Justice Department general inspector. Instead, he relies on former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, conspiratorial attorney Sidney Powell, and other “legal outsiders” for guidance.

And that includes whether the president should take the bold and unprecedented step of forgiveness.

In a Guardian review of what to expect from Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, who took over the DOJ after former AG Bill Barr resigned last Wednesday, former Justice Department officials voiced fears about what President Rosen has been doing in recent days of the president.

Guardian’s Peter Rosen: Former Justice Department officials are concerned that Trump will be relying on Barr’s less experienced successor, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, to advance Trump’s proposed actions, including appointing special advisers to investigate the president. elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden and use the DoJ to investigate Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations of widespread election fraud. “

In an interview with former prosecutor Paul Rosenzweig, who worked under Ken Starr on the investigation into Bill Clinton before Barr left the president, he said he wanted an AG that would act on his whims and there are now concerns that Rosen could be inundated by Trump claims.

“There are many things that we could expect Trump to commission the department in the final days of his presidency,” said Rosenzweig. “Most likely, special legal counsel will be appointed to investigate Hunter Biden. Another is a new statement by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) that overturns the Nixon-era ruling that presidential self-forgiveness is illegal. “

Former DOJ Inspector General Michael Bromwich agreed, stating, “I don’t think we can imagine how many inappropriate actions Rosen could take. Unlike Barr, Rosen is an unknown and enigmatic figure to the outside world who has no reputation outside of the narrow circle of people he has worked with. I doubt he would want his legacy to match the whims of a president who has passed his senses. “

However, Bromwich added that it is evident that the president has skipped apologizing to the DOJ – based on its controversial pardons over the past week – and may seek advice from attorneys who may base his attacks on the results of the Have led the 2020 presidential election.

“I don’t think an OLC statement on self-forgiveness would be worth the practice for anyone. If it came to the conclusion that self-pardon was constitutional, it would be dismissed as a forced opinion and further deteriorate the reputation of OLC, “explained Bromwich before suggesting,” I doubt he would [Trump] I will feel the need to seek such an opinion. He will instead rely on legal advice from Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and the other legal outcasts he has surrounded himself with. “

Bromwich also had some advice for the new AG Rosen if he is concerned about leaving his temporary new job with its reputation intact.

“If I were Rosen I would change my phone number and take a longer vacation,” advised Bromwich. “If that is not possible, he should make it clear that he will not do anything that violates his constitutional oath or his basic sense of right and wrong.”

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