During an interview with Fox News, President Trump told reporter Ainsley Earhardt that he "would consider" pardoning Paul Manafort.
This is a glaring attempt to obstruct justice by signaling to a witness that should they refuse to cooperate with prosecutors and give honest testimony about the president's crimes, they will be rewarded with a pardon.
It should be noted too, that despite Trump's whitewashing of their crimes, these are not innocent people. Manafort, for his part, was convicted of two counts of bank fraud, five counts of tax fraud, and one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
The Department of Justice must live up to its name and not fall victim to such egregious political hackery.
If the DOJ is to maintain a shred of integrity, it will take action against the president for willfully, openly, and purposefully using his pardoning power to interfere with an ongoing investigation into his own crimes and those of his campaign staffers. That Trump feels justified in witness tampering in broad daylight is a slap in the face to a Justice Department that he is certain won't have the spine to hold him accountable. The agency must prove him wrong.
With Mueller's investigation having brought a staggering 191 criminal charges against 35 defendants, including a slew of guilty pleas, the special counselor has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is anything but a "witch hunt." It is imperative, then, that the DOJ recognize and meet its obligation to take action where it is so sorely needed.
We, the undersigned, demand that the United States Department of Justice uphold its duty to protect the rule of law, rather than the criminal occupying the Oval Office. Charge President Trump for his blatant attempt to abuse his office to obstruct justice!
