No government officials linked to ‘bribery-for-pardon scheme’: McEnany

WASHINGTON — No government officials are being investigated in the Department of Justice’s probe into an alleged bribery scheme involving a presidential pardon, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed Wednesday.

When asked during her briefing with reporters if anyone at the White House had been questioned over the plot, McEnany responded, “No.”

“In fact, the DOJ official said yesterday that no government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation disclosed in this filing,” she continued.

Court documents made public Tuesday evening detailed an alleged “secret lobbying scheme” in which two unidentified individuals approached senior White House officials and the White House Counsel’s Office about getting a “pardon or reprieve of sentence” for an unidentified third person.

According to the documents, the third person seeking clemency “would offer a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence for [redacted].”

The 18-page order is heavily redacted and gives prosecutors permission to confront the three unidentified parties “and take any other investigative steps needed to complete its investigation.”

Last week, President Trump ended speculation he would pardon his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was the only White House official to be convicted as part of the FBI’s Russia investigation.

Reports have surfaced that the president is considering pre-emptive pardons for his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, his children, and even himself, fearing they will face Democrat-led criminal probes after he leaves office.

On Wednesday, McEnany denied those reports.

“I’ve heard no mention of any pardons in any conversations I’ve had in the White House, other than the pardon of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn,” she said.