President Trump’s pardoning of conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza is a clear message to his embattled personal attorney Michael Cohen and former campaign manager Paul Manafort not to cooperate with investigations into Trump-Russia collusion, according to a former federal prosecutor who investigated President Bill Clinton.

“My first thought is: Trump likes to do stuff where he can do it without asking anyone permission, and the pardon is the quintessential presidential power that is unreviewable. It makes hi​​m feel like a king, which is what he wants,” said Paul Rosenzweig, who served as senior counsel under ​special prosecutor ​Ken Starr during the Whitewater investigation and now works at the center-right D.C. think tank R Street.

“On the other hand, he’s not an idiot, and he knows the effect of what he’s doing on other people. He also probably thinks it’s a not-terribly-subtle, but reasonable, effective message to guys like Cohen and Manafort and all the others that he’s got their back — provided they stay loyal to him.”

Cohen is being probed for bank fraud and campaign-finance violations regarding $130,000 in hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her alleged affair with Trump before the election. He has not been charged with a crime.

But if Cohen decides to cooperate, the longtime Trump Organization fixer could have invaluable information for special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether team Trump colluded with Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Manafort is charged in Virginia with tax evasion and bank fraud for allegedly taking payments from the Ukrainian government and hiding them from Uncle Sam while failing to register as a foreign agent. He has pleaded not guilty.