Mr. Trump could pardon any of the subjects of the special counsel’s Russia inquiry, though some legal specialists believe he could increase his risk of prosecution if he is seen as abusing his pardon power. Were Mr. Trump to announce that he has pardoned himself, impeachment would remain possible. A prosecutor might also test the limits of the pardon power by indicting Mr. Trump notwithstanding such an announcement. “Hundreds of persons have applied for clemency and have waited for years, some for 10 or 15,” he wrote on the Pardon Power blog. The fact that the legal proceedings against Mr. Arpaio were still underway posed no obstacle to Mr. Trump’s ability to pardon him.

Source: New York Times August 26, 2017 15:33 UTC