Transcript for Trump says his team is looking at 'thousands of names' of potential pardon candidates

President trump is focusing on his power to pardon telling reporters he has thousands more names on his list. They're not all celebrities. There is one name he's thinking about. Muhammad Ali. As Pierre Thomas reports he can cross that name off his list. Reporter: Today the president clearly refling in his power to pardon and signaling he's ready to use it. We are looking at literally thousands of names. Reporter: Tossing out the name of one of the biggest celebrities of all time, the late Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft evasion. I will not go 10,000 miles from here to help murder and kill. Reporter: And stripped of his boxing title. He was not very popular then. His memory is very popular now. Reporter: Not so fast. Ali's conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme court nearly 50 years ago. Ali's attorney releasing a statement thanking the president for the sentiment saying the pardon is unnecessary. It comes two days after the president commuted the sentence of Alice Johnson serving life for a nonviolent drug attempt. I want to thank president Donald Trump. Reporter: The president saying more prisoners without famous names could see their sentence cut short. I would get more thrill out of pardoning people nobody knows. Reporter: He also addressed the NFL players -- I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people unfairly treated, friends of theirs or people they know. Reporter: He boasted he has the pardon to power himself if necessary. I have the right to pardon myself but I'll never have to do it. Pierce Thomas joins us from Washington. The president's critics say he's using these pardons to send a message to those tied up in Russia investigation. Today there were breaking developments from the special counsel. Tonight form trump campaign manager Paul manafort facing more pressure. He and a business associate who said have ties to Russian intelligence are being charged with obstruction of justice. Thank you.

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