President Trump’s lawyer discussed a possible pardon for fired advisers Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort with their lawyers last year, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
Both Flynn and Manafort are deeply involved in the Russia investigation. Critics have raised concerns that John Dowd, who resigned from his post as Trump’s top lawyer last week, may have been trying to influence the former advisers’ cooperation with the investigation.
Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor, has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. However, Manafort, who chaired Trump’s campaign, has pleaded not guilty to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s charges of financial crimes, including undisclosed foreign lobbying work, bank fraud, and money laundering. The pardon discussion with Manafort’s lawyers happened before he was indicted on those charges in October.
Several people present in meetings with the president said he has raised the subject of pardoning Flynn, according to the Times. Trump was never a fan of the Flynn investigation, saying that he felt “very badly” for firing Flynn and that the F.B.I. had “destroyed his life.”
Dowd, for his part, has denied the report that he engaged in any discussion about pardons for the advisers. “There were no discussions. Period,” Dowd stated. “As far as I know, no discussions.”
Trump lawyers Jay Sekulow and Ty Cobb, along with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also denied the Times report. Manafort and Flynn’s lawyers had no comment on the issue.