Newt Gingrich did a radio interview where he said that Donald Trump could fill his White House with his family members, allow them to enrich his businesses with insider deals, and then just pardon them, because "Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority."
Gingrich says that the conflict of interest rules only exist because Lyndon Johnson didn't like Bobby Kennedy and wanted to keep him out of JFK's cabinet, but with Trump, "traditional rules don't work" so "we're going to have to think up a whole new approach."
"In the case of the president, he has a broad ability to organize the White House the way he wants to. He also has, frankly, the power of the pardon," Gingrich said. "It's a totally open power. He could simply say, 'Look, I want them to be my advisers. I pardon them if anyone finds them to have behaved against the rules. Period. Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority."
Gingrich: Congress should change ethics laws for Trump
[Darren Samuelsohn/Politico]
(via Mitch Wagner)
