Trump says Manafort pardon 'not off the table'

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday a pardon for Paul Manafort is "not off the table" -- a comment drawing swift rebuke from critics who fear the president will use his executive power to protect friends and supporters caught up in the Russia probe.

The president's discussion of a possible pardon in an interview with the New York Post came days after special counsel Robert Mueller said Manafort had breached his plea deal by repeatedly lying to investigators. The former Trump campaign chairman denies he lied.

Trump's remarks are the latest sign of his disdain for the Russia investigation, which has dogged him for two years and ensnared members of his inner circle. In recent weeks, the president, armed with inside information provided to his lawyers by Manafort's legal team, has sharpened his attacks, seizing on what he claims are dirty tactics employed by the special counsel and accusing investigators of pressuring witnesses to lie.

In the interview with the Post, Trump likened the Russia probe to Sen. Joe McCarthy's pursuit of alleged communists in the 1950s.

"We are in the McCarthy era. This is no better than McCarthy," Trump told the newspaper.

When asked about a pardon for Manafort, Trump told the newspaper: "It was never discussed, but I wouldn't take it off the table. Why would I take it off the table?"

Trump only has the power to pardon for federal charges. A pardon would not shield Manafort from prosecution for state charges, though he is not currently facing any.

On Wednesday, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee said if Trump pardons Manafort, it would be a "blatant and unacceptable abuse of power."

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said in a tweet the president's pardon power is not a "personal tool" Trump can use to protect "himself and his friends."

Meanwhile, Manafort's lawyers have been briefing Trump's attorneys in recent months on what their client has told investigators, an unusual arrangement for a government cooperator and one raising the prospect Manafort could be angling for a pardon.