Marco Rubio: Pardoning Paul Manafort would be a 'terrible mistake'
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said it would be a serious mistake for President Trump to pardon his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.
In court documents filed Friday evening, special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible Russian interference in the 2016 election accused Paul Manafort of lying to them about his contact with senior officials from the Trump administration while under indictment. Trump still speaks highly of Manafort, and has told the New York Post that he wouldn’t take pardoning Manafort “off the table.”
ABC News reporter Martha Raddatz asked Rubio on “This Week” Sunday morning whether he thinks pardoning Manafort would constitute obstruction of justice.
“I think it would be a terrible mistake if he did that. I do. I believe it’d be a terrible mistake,” Rubio replied. “You know, pardons should be used judiciously. They’re used for cases with extraordinary circumstances. And I just haven’t heard that the White House was thinking about doing it. I know he hasn’t ruled it out but I haven’t heard anyone say, We’re thinking about doing it.”
Rubio suggested that if he were part of Trump’s inner circle, he would advise strongly against pardoning Manafort and will be a critical voice in Congress if it comes to pass. He said a presidential pardon in this situation would undercut the very reason for their existence and could result in contentious wrangling over that presidential power granted by the Constitution.
“I don’t believe that any pardon should be used with relation to these particular cases. Frankly, not only does it not pass the smell test, I think it undermines the reason why we have presidential pardons in the first place,” Rubio said. “And I think, in fact, if something like that were to happen, it could trigger a debate about whether the pardon powers should be amended, given these circumstances.”
Manafort is a longtime Republican political consultant who advised presidential campaigns for Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole. Manafort pleaded guilty in September to several charges, including making false statements about his work in Ukraine, financial fraud and obstructing justice. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with Mueller’s probe into possible collusion, but the allegation that he’s been lying prompted even more speculation that he’s angling for a pardon from Trump.
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