President Trump has continued discussing issuing pardons for himself and his children since the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
One source familiar with the conversations says there is a belief that a Trump “pardon of family and kids, is more likely and more urgent because a pardon could stave off prosecution.”
However aides and allies are concerned over the public perception of a pardon following the Jan. 6 attack, which led to the deaths of five people.
Sources tell CNN there is dissent inside the West Wing from those appalled by the attack, many of whom are pushing up against a President whose main concern is protecting himself and his family.
The riot at the Capitol raises the potential of new legal exposure for the President, his allies and family members who participated in the rally should investigators pursue whether their words and actions could be subject to criminal prosecution.
On Tuesday, Trump defended his remarks from Jan. 6, saying they were “appropriate.”
The White House did not provide a comment.
The source familiar with White House conversations said that Trump might issue a blanket pardon to cover himself and his children up until the time he leaves office, adding, from Trump’s point of view, “it makes sense to just cover it all.”
Even before last week, the President had told advisers he thinks that he and his family have been unfairly targeted and that he’s concerned legal pursuits could continue under the Biden Justice Department, according to a source close to Trump.
Since his first year in office, Trump has discussed pardoning himself and his children, but the attack on the Capitol creates a new dynamic surrounding the messaging and “public relations” of such pardons, according to the person familiar with White House conversations.
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