Bulwark Editor Sam Stein says President Donald Trump’s recent NewsMax interview explained plenty about the mind behind the president.
“He was asked about a series of potential pardons and acts of clemency that he could issue that really says a lot about Donald Trump … and just how abusive he is with the his clemency and pardoning power,” said Stein on his Bulwark podcast.
Hip-hop mogul Sean Combs was recently convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, and Trump has been mulling the possibility of a potential pardon. But Stein said the NewsMax interview now suggests a “no” on that, and he slammed Trump’s reasons for refusing.
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“He just said, like, the reason he might not do it is because Sean Combs was not nice to him during one of his campaigns,” said Stein, before cutting to footage of Trump’s interview.
“Well, he was essentially half innocent,” Trump told his host. “ … Probably—you know I was very friendly with him. I get along with him. And he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
“He said some not so nice things about you, sir,” the host agreed.
“Yeah, and it’s hard, you know? We’re human beings and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgement, right? But when you know someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he makes some terrible statements … it makes it more difficult. I’m being honest. It makes it more difficult to do,” Trump said.
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“More likely a ‘no’ for Combs?” asked the host.
“I would say so,” Trump said
“Well, points for candor, right?” said Stein. “The guy admits ‘I’m going to give pardons to people who I like and who are nice to me.’ Not usually how it’s done and the stuff Puff Daddy’s accused of is pretty grotesque—not the most sympathetic character, but here’s Trump here saying ‘you know I might do it because I used to like the guy but I might not do it because he was mean to me during a campaign.’”
Stein also noted Trump admitted he’d be willing to pardon or give clemency to notorious serial liar and Republican congressman George Santos, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“He lied like hell. I didn’t now him, but he was 100 percent for Trump,” Trump told NewMax.
Watch the Bulwark video at this link