Trump pardoning himself can lead to impeachment: Analyst

Any attempt by US President Donald Trump to pardon himself from any charges stemming from his alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 US presidential election can lead to his impeachment by Congress and would be a “public relations disaster,” an American writer and researcher in Washington says.

“There is speculation that if Trump attempted to pardon himself, this act could lead to impeachment proceedings; it would also likely be a public relations disaster for Trump,” Walt Peretto said during an interview with Press TV on Monday.

“If Trump was able to pardon himself and the whole issue just went away---the corporate mainstream media would suddenly be void of it's biggest news distraction in the last year and a half. Virtually every weekday evening on stations like MSNBC --- the time slots are filled to the brim with the so-called Russiagate investigation. Each days events regarding this story is scrutinized to the most minute detail while more relevant news and information is systematically ignored,” Peretto said.

In a tweet on Sunday, Trump insisted he did nothing wrong during his presidential election campaign.

“As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?” Trump wrote.

Trump lawyer and former New York mayor Rudy ­Giuliani suggested in TV ­interviews on Sunday that the US Constitution gives the president the authority to pardon himself but it would be unwise to use it.

“He has no intention of pardoning himself,” Giuliani told ABC News. “That doesn’t say he can’t.”

Whether Trump may pardon himself is a matter of constitutional debate.

A Justice Department memo dated four days before former President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 during the Watergate political corruption scandal took the view that "under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the President cannot pardon himself."

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump deny any collusion, and the US president has denied obstructing the probe.

“The only proven piece of evidence I've seen is the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on camera before the election that he hoped that Trump would win because he had deep concerns about Hillary Clinton's foreign policy intentions that may eventually include war with Russia,” Peretto said.

“The mainstream media is the propaganda and disinformation arm of a global patchwork of entities who pathologically desire a one world government of complete domination and control of the world and it's resources,” he noted.

“The media obsession with Russiagate also has a divide and conquer effect on the masses. It pits the Trump supporters against those who identify with the left side of the left/right paradigmatic psyop.”

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