Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Speaking to reporters before leaving for the G-7 summit, Trump claimed he had an "absolute right" to pardon himself
- President Trump reasserted that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself while speaking to reporters on Friday.
- He originally made that claim on Monday in a tweet.
- He added, however, that he'll "never have to do it because I didn't do anything wrong."
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at length on Friday morning before heading off to the G7 summit in Canada, during which he reasserted his right to pardon himself despite saying he was "not above the law."
"I'm not above the law," Trump said. "And yes, I do have an absolute right to pardon myself, but I'll never have to do it because I didn't do anything wrong and everybody knows it."
He also reiterated his frequent assertions that there was no collusion by his campaign with the Russian government, calling the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into his campaign's alleged ties with Russia is a "witch hunt."
Trump originally claimed he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself on Monday, tweeting: "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?"
The Department of Justice, however, disagrees. Their website states, "Under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case, the President cannot pardon himself."
This was based off a memo written in 1974, four days before President Richard Nixon resigned from office.