President Donald Trump arguably can pardon himself of any wrongdoing in the special counsel probe, including obstruction of justice, because of his authority over the Justice Department, but that would be "self-executing impeachment," according to former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara.
"I think it would be outrageous for a sitting president of the United States [to self-pardon]," Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bharara told CNN's "State of the Union."
"I think if the president decided he was going to pardon himself, I think that's almost self-executing impeachment. Whether or not there is a minor legal argument that some law professor somewhere in a legal journal can make that the president can pardon [himself] that is not what the framers could have intended."
Amid legal wrangling between special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and the president's lawyers, Bharara reminded that justice in this case will not be determined by Mueller, but by the court of law or congressional impeachment.
"This is ultimately is not going to be decided by Bob Mueller — it'll be court or it'll be Congress," Bharara told CNN host Dana Bash.
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