President Donald Trump tweeted that “all agree the U.S. President has the complete power to pardon.” It’s true that the president has the constitutional power to issue pardons, but there are some limits to that power.
Trump’s Power to Pardon
Locations: National
No Arrests for Impeachment Attempt
Q: Were two U.S. senators charged with trying to impeach President Donald Trump under false pretenses?
A: No. That story originated on a prolific satire website.
Selling Insurance Across State Lines
President Donald Trump said that by allowing insurers to sell plans across state lines, “your premiums will be down 60 and 70 percent.” We couldn’t find any study supporting such a decrease, and experts we consulted disputed the idea that overall average premiums would decline significantly.
Trump’s Misplaced Baltimore Bias
Trump misleadingly suggested Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein may be biased against him because Rosenstein “is from Baltimore” and “there are very few Republicans in Baltimore.”
Trump’s Misleading Defense of Son
President Donald Trump emphasized that an attorney who met with his eldest son in 2016 was a “Russian lawyer” and “not a [Russian] government lawyer.” That may be true, but Donald Trump Jr. had agreed to sit down with a “Russian government attorney,” according to his emails.
Donald Trump Jr.’s Evolving Statements
We now know that Donald Trump Jr., during the presidential campaign, met with a Russian lawyer offering information that was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” And we now know that the president’s eldest son was less-than-forthcoming in his previous statements on the issue.
A Fake Paul Ryan Quote
Q: Did House Speaker Paul Ryan say “22 million Americans choose to be poor, so it’s their own problem if they can’t afford to be healthy”?
A: No. That fake quote comes from a satirical news story.
Trump’s Unfounded Leak Claim
President Donald Trump made the unfounded accusation that former FBI Director James Comey illegally “leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media.” His claim appears to have been based on a news story that makes no such determination.
No Obama $1 Bill
Q: Is the Federal Reserve putting former President Barack Obama on the $1 bill?
A: No. That claim comes from a recycled fake news story.
Trump Misleads on Russia Hacking
On the eve of his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump made some questionable claims about the U.S. intelligence community’s finding that Russia hacked into U.S. political organizations to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.