Rudy Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that President Donald Trump was not issuing pardons in the Russia investigation, but left open the possibility he could once the probe is finished.
“The President has issued no pardons in this investigation,” Giuliani told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The President is not going to issue pardons in this investigation. And my advice to him, you know, as long as I’m his lawyer, is not to do it because you just cloud what is becoming now a very clear picture of an extremely unfair investigation with no criminality involved in it of any kind.”
However, Giuliani said later in the interview that Trump could pardon people who were treated “unfairly” once the probe led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller is through.
“What I mean is you’re not going to get a pardon just because you’re involved in this investigation,” Giuliani said. “You probably have a higher burden if you’re involved in this investigation as compared to the others who get pardons, but you’re certainly not excluded from it if in fact the President and his advisers – not me – come to the conclusion that you’ve been treated unfairly.”
Giuliani, an outspoken attorney for the President, repeatedly suggested the probe had questionable origins and echoed some of the President’s rhetoric about the investigation being unfair.
Referring to the Russia investigation, Giuliani said “when it’s over,” Trump would retain his pardon power and could issue pardons as he sees fit.
And when asked about the changing story on the Trump Tower meeting that Donald Trump Jr. and other members of the campaign had with a Russian lawyer in June 2016, Giuliani said differing recollections of events were why testimony under oath needed to be treated carefully.
“In a situation like this, there are going to be a lot of differing recollections and a lot of corrections are going to be necessary,” Giuliani said. “That’s why you don’t want to go under oath until everything is settled and you’re sure of your recollection.”