President Donald Trump glared at a reporter for asking a “stupid question” during a meeting Tuesday between himself and French President Emmanuel Macron about whether he was considering pardoning his personal lawyer — a topic that had nothing whatsoever to do with the meeting.
“Mr. President, what about Michael Cohen? Are you considering a pardon for him?” ABC News reporter Jon Karl asked Trump during the meeting in the Oval Office with Macron.
Trump glared in Karl’s direction and replied, “Stupid question,” as Macron looked on and grinned.
The FBI raided the home, office, and hotel room of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, earlier in April and reportedly seized his communications with Trump. As special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of Russian collusion expands and drags on, many media members and liberal lawmakers continually express their concerns that Trump will exercise his constitutional right of the presidential pardon to exonerate his close allies.
Cohen came under fire for arranging a nondisclosure deal in 2016 in which he paid $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump. Cohen came under scrutiny for potential campaign finance law violations and bank fraud allegations.
Some liberal pundits have wondered whether pardons for Cohen and other Trump associates would represent obstruction of justice.
Trump hosted Macron for an official state visit Monday and Tuesday. Although the two leaders come from vastly different political perspectives, both Macron and Trump have spoken of their “special relationship.”
Related: Gidley: Trump Dropped ‘Obama Apology Tour,’ Regained Respect for U.S.
Macron told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace that he and Trump are “mavericks” who “are not part of the classical political system.”
But Trump is a conservative populist while Macron has cast himself as a globalist. The two men disagree on significant issues including the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate change, and keeping the Iran nuclear deal however much intervention is necessary in Syria.
PoliZette writer Kathryn Blackhurst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter.
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