In a statement, California Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu (pictured) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) said Trump’s use of his pardon power has become a tool “to undermine our judiciary.” | Getty Dems look to force vote examining Trump’s pardon power

House Democrats are attempting to force a vote on a measure demanding information from the White House about President Donald Trump’s use of his pardon power — and whether he’s considering clemency for any associates ensnared by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The proposal, filed Friday by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), would pressure the Justice Department to produce any “document, record, audio recording, memorandum, correspondence, or other communication” describing Trump’s use of his pardon power to date as well as his consideration of pardon power for those who have pleaded guilty or been charged in connection with the Mueller probe.


The proposal specifically asks for records about the consideration of pardons for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his deputy Rick Gates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos and former Manafort associate Alex van der Zwaan. All but Manafort pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and Manafort is facing a slew of money laundering and bank fraud charges.

The proposal also references Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who hasn’t been charged with a crime but has seen his home and office raided by the FBI and is believed to be in legal jeopardy. The Democrats also demand details about Trump’s view that he has the authority to pardon himself.

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Lieu and Pascrell’s proposal is an obscure procedural mechanism known as a “resolution of inquiry,” a little-used congressional tool to pressure the Executive Branch to provide records to Congress. Under House rules, the House Judiciary Committee would have to consider their proposal within 14 legislative days or else the measure could be brought before the full House of Representatives for a vote.

Democrats on the Judiciary Committee deployed the tactic earlier in this Congress to attempt to force votes on a slew of measures that would put the Trump administration in an uncomfortable spot, including a bid to examine Trump’s business entanglements. The measures generally have been rejected by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, and it’s unlikely the latest proposal would advance.

In a statement, Lieu and Pascrell said Trump’s use of his pardon power has become a tool “to undermine our judiciary.”

“Democracy is not reality TV. Donald Trump is cheapening our bedrock justice institutions in ways that will make them more vulnerable to misuse and debasement,” they said in a statement. “They reflect a President who sees his office as that of a king who stands above all laws.”

Trump has said repeatedly he believes he has the authority to pardon himself — a matter that has never been tested in court — but that he doesn’t intend to use it because he says he hasn’t done anything wrong. He and his allies have spent recent weeks assailing Mueller’s investigation into Trump campaign contacts with Russians during the 2016 election — and whether Trump himself may have obstructed the probe.