President Donald Trump's pardon of former national security adviser Michael Flynn is prompting speculation on who might be next in line for presidential pardons.
The Wednesday pardon voided the case against Flynn just as a federal judge was deciding whether to grant a Justice Department request to dismiss the prosecution despite Flynn's own guilty plea to lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts.
The Hill said these people could now be next in line for a pardon:
- Paul Manafort, former chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign. He is now serving more than seven years in prison on federal bank and tax fraud charges.
- Steve Bannon, who had worked as Trump's chief strategist. Bannon was arrested in August on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to the "We Build the Wall" online fundraising campaign.
- George Papadopoulos, a former adviser to the 2016 Trump campaign, was sentenced to 14 days in prison for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries.
In addition, the Flynn pardon has touched off speculation about whether Trump would pardon himself. The Hill noted many of his critics have pushed for him to be investigated for his conduct in office and as a private businessman. No president has ever been charged with a crime after leaving office by a succeeding administration, The Hill said.
And, it noted, there are questions concerning whether he can legally pardon himself.
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