New York State Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday on ABC’s “The View” that President Donald Trump could not “avoid justice” in New York even with a possible maneuver like stepping down before January 20 and having a then-sworn-in President Mike Pence pardon him.
James said, “The vast majority of legal scholars have indicated that he cannot pardon himself. What he could do is step down and allow the vice president, Vice President Pence, to pardon him. In all likelihood, I suspect he’ll pardon his family members, his children, his son-in-law, and individuals in his administration, as well as some of his close associates. And then I suspect at some point he’ll step down and allow the vice president to pardon him.”
She added, “Now, it’s important to understand he’s pardoned from federal crimes, but he is not pardoned from state crimes. Last year I introduced a bill in the state legislature which would close the pardon loophole so that individuals such as the president of the United States would not evade justice. It’s important that we have this check on presidential powers and that the state legislature. I’m so happy they passed that bill, and it’s now the law in the state of New York. President Trump cannot avoid justice in the great state of New York.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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