Donald Trump has reached back to George W. Bush-era contempt for the rule of law and pardoned Scooter Libby, who leaked Valerie Plame’s name and CIA affiliation in an attempt to discredit Ambassador Joe Wilson’s evidence undercutting the made-up reasons for waging war on Iraq. In short, Trump has found a way to go on the record supporting personal attacks on public servants in retaliation for truth-telling. According to a statement from the White House:
Today, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) to I. “Scooter” Lewis Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Richard Cheney, for convictions stemming from a 2007 trial. President George W. Bush commuted Mr. Libby’s sentence shortly after his conviction. Mr. Libby, nevertheless, paid a $250,000 fine, performed 400 hours of community service, and served two years of probation. [...]
“I don’t know Mr. Libby,” said President Trump, “but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.”
Bull crap. Donald Trump is making a statement about presidential pardon power and his willingness to use it in defense of executive branch misdeeds—or in defense of the misdeeds of his former campaign advisers and staffers. He’s telling his associates who are currently under special counsel Robert Mueller’s microscope that he’s got their backs if they’ve got his.