Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. introduced legislation targeting any potential pardons by President Donald Trump of an individual connected to a probe in which he or a family member is involved, The Hill is reporting.
Schiff, who serves as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, introduced the legislation in a bid to stop Trump and future presidents from abusing their pardon authority, according to The Hill.
“The President has a broad power to confer pardons, but not when they are designed to insulate himself, his family and his associates from criminal investigation,” Schiff said in announcing the bill. “Such an abuse of the pardon power would amount to obstruction of justice and is not countenanced by the constitution.”
Under the bill, the attorney general would be required to submit all evidence against the pardoned individual to Congress in those cases, Talking Points Memo reported. Schiff introduced the legislation after it was revealed that Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, had reached out to the president’s attorneys for a potential pardon, according to TPM.
Schiff, in a Thursday tweet, noted his reasons for introducing the bill.
"Presidents can use a pardon to rectify an injustice," he wrote. "They may not use it to obstruct justice. I just introduced legislation to ensure that if the pardon power is abused to coverup crimes involving any President, his/her family or associates, Congress finds out.”
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