US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is considering pardons for "two or three" American soldiers charged with war crimes, a move he also said would be controversial but justified because they had been treated "unfairly."

Trump told reporters at the White House that he has not decided yet on the cases, but may wait until the accused military servicemen stand trial before deciding whether to grant them pardons.

"Some of these soldiers are people that have fought hard, long. You know, we teach them how to be great fighters, and then when they fight sometime, they get really treated very unfairly," Trump said.

He did not identify which cases he was reviewing.

The New York Times on May 18 reported Trump had asked the Justice Department for paperwork on several high-profile war crimes cases in preparation for possible pardons to be announced on or around the US Memorial Day holiday honouring fallen troops. This year's holiday is to be observed on May 27.

One request according to the Times report was for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, a decorated US Navy SEAL court-martialed on charges he fatally stabbed a helpless, wounded Islamic State fighter in his custody, and shot two unarmed civilians from a sniper's perch during his 2017 deployment to Iraq.

The 39-year-old combat veteran and platoon leader has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Defence lawyers say the allegations against him were fabricated by subordinate SEAL team members disgruntled with his leadership style and seeking to force his ouster.

Gallagher's trial was delayed this week until June 10 at the earliest. His lawyer told Reuters he had not asked for a pardon, and Gallagher declined to comment on the possibility of presidential clemency when asked by reporters in court.

But the prospect of Trump offering Gallagher a pardon seemed heightened by this week's appointment to his defence team of former federal prosecutor Marc Mukasey, one of Trump's personal lawyers and an associate of fellow Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani.

Another associate of former New York City Mayor Giuliani, ex-New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik - who served three years in prison in a federal corruption case - is an investigator on Gallagher's defence team.

Mukasey, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, dismissed the notion of seeking a pardon for Gallagher.

"I have a job to do in the courtroom. I have no clue whether anything else is going on," he said.

Gallagher's lead civilian attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told reporters on Wednesday following a hearing at Naval Base San Diego: "If the president decides to step in, that's what the commander does."

Trump first weighed in on the Gallagher case publicly in March, ordering the defendant moved to less restrictive pre-trial confinement "in honour of his past service to our country."

A number of conservative commentators have urged him to pardon Gallagher. Critics say it would pre-empt justice, undermine military discipline and send a message that battlefield atrocities will be tolerated.

The overwhelming majority of pardons are granted to people who have already been convicted and served time for a federal offence, as when Trump earlier this month pardoned former Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna, who served five years in prison for killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008.

But presidents have occasionally granted pardons preemptively to individuals accused of or suspected of a crime.

The most famous such case was the blanket pardon President Gerald Ford bestowed on his predecessor, Richard Nixon, following Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is considering pardons for "two or three" American soldiers charged with war crimes, a move he also said would be controversial but justified because they had been treated "unfairly.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is considering pardons for "two or three" American soldiers charged with war crimes, a move he also said would be controversial but justified because they had been treated "unfairly." Trump told reporters at the White House that he has not decided yet on the cases, but may wait until the accused military servicemen stand trial before deciding whether to grant them pardons. "Some of these soldiers are people that have fought hard, long. You know, we teach them how to be great fighters, and then when they fight sometime, they get really treated very unfairly," Trump said. He did not identify which cases he was reviewing. The New York Times on May 18 reported Trump had asked the Justice Department for paperwork on several high-profile war crimes cases in preparation for possible pardons to be announced on or around the US Memorial Day holiday honouring fallen troops. This year's holiday is to be observed on May 27. One request according to the Times report was for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, a decorated US Navy SEAL court-martialed on charges he fatally stabbed a helpless, wounded Islamic State fighter in his custody, and shot two unarmed civilians from a sniper's perch during his 2017 deployment to Iraq. The 39-year-old combat veteran and platoon leader has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Defence lawyers say the allegations against him were fabricated by subordinate SEAL team members disgruntled with his leadership style and seeking to force his ouster. Gallagher's trial was delayed this week until June 10 at the earliest. His lawyer told Reuters he had not asked for a pardon, and Gallagher declined to comment on the possibility of presidential clemency when asked by reporters in court. But the prospect of Trump offering Gallagher a pardon seemed heightened by this week's appointment to his defence team of former federal prosecutor Marc Mukasey, one of Trump's personal lawyers and an associate of fellow Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani. Another associate of former New York City Mayor Giuliani, ex-New York Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik - who served three years in prison in a federal corruption case - is an investigator on Gallagher's defence team. Mukasey, in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, dismissed the notion of seeking a pardon for Gallagher. "I have a job to do in the courtroom. I have no clue whether anything else is going on," he said. Gallagher's lead civilian attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told reporters on Wednesday following a hearing at Naval Base San Diego: "If the president decides to step in, that's what the commander does." Trump first weighed in on the Gallagher case publicly in March, ordering the defendant moved to less restrictive pre-trial confinement "in honour of his past service to our country." A number of conservative commentators have urged him to pardon Gallagher. Critics say it would pre-empt justice, undermine military discipline and send a message that battlefield atrocities will be tolerated. The overwhelming majority of pardons are granted to people who have already been convicted and served time for a federal offence, as when Trump earlier this month pardoned former Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna, who served five years in prison for killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008. But presidents have occasionally granted pardons preemptively to individuals accused of or suspected of a crime. The most famous such case was the blanket pardon President Gerald Ford bestowed on his predecessor, Richard Nixon, following Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal.

Trump says to consider pardons for some US soldiers accused of war crimes

Donald Trump reimbursed his personal attorney Michael Cohen $ 130,000 he had given to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election to buy her silence over an alleged affair with the then US presidential candidate, one of the president's lawyers said today.

Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a recent addition to President Trump's legal team dealing with the Russian investigation, let out the bombshell detail during an interview on Fox News.

The disclosure contradicts Trump's own firm statement, made on Air Force One last month, that he had no knowledge of his private lawyer Michael Cohen having paid Daniels the&nbsp $130,000 sum.&nbsp

"That money was not campaign&nbspmoney. It's not campaign&nbspmoney. No campaign finance violation," Giuliani said.

He said that the money was funnelled through the law firm and the President repaid him.&nbsp

"He (Trump) paid him back. No campaign finance violations, no crime of any kind. Michael had the discretion to solve these," Giuliani told The Wall Street Journal in another interview.&nbsp

When the daily asked whether the fact that Trump had repaid his lawyer conflicted with the president's previous statements that he was unaware of the payment, Giuliani said it was "not [an] issue".&nbsp

"Cohen was his lawyer and had discretion to settle, as I have had for clients ultimately paying for it," he said.&nbsp

Trump was "probably not aware" of the payment at the time it was made, he said.

The former New York Mayor later told Fox News that Trump repaid Cohen "over several months" by putting him on a "retainer of $ 35,000 when he was doing no work for the president."&nbsp

Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said, "This is exactly what we predicted would ultimately be shown. Every American, regardless of their politics, should be outraged."

Asked if Giuliani's admission is evidence of a campaign finance violation, Avenatti simply said, "Yes."

The president has repeatedly denied that he had an affair Daniels, who has described having intimate contact with Trump before he became president.

Giuliani's comments are also in direct contrast to what Cohen has been saying for months that he used his own money to pay the actress.

Cohen is under investigation by the FBI, which raided his home and office last month and seized documents that included information about the payment to Daniels.&nbsp

The hush-money payment to Daniels is reportedly a focus of a federal investigation into Cohen's private finances and business interests. Investigators are likely to examine whether the payment was legal under election campaign finance laws and whether Cohen disclosed the true reason for borrowing the funds.&nbsp

Donald Trump reimbursed his personal attorney Michael Cohen $ 130,000 he had given to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election to buy her silence over an alleged affair with the then US presidential candidate, one of the president's lawyers said today

Donald Trump reimbursed his personal attorney Michael Cohen $ 130,000 he had given to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election to buy her silence over an alleged affair with the then US presidential candidate, one of the president's lawyers said today. Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a recent addition to President Trump's legal team dealing with the Russian investigation, let out the bombshell detail during an interview on Fox News. The disclosure contradicts Trump's own firm statement, made on Air Force One last month, that he had no knowledge of his private lawyer Michael Cohen having paid Daniels the $130,000 sum. "That money was not campaign&nbspmoney. It's not campaign&nbspmoney. No campaign finance violation," Giuliani said. He said that the money was funnelled through the law firm and the President repaid him. "He (Trump) paid him back. No campaign finance violations, no crime of any kind. Michael had the discretion to solve these," Giuliani told The Wall Street Journal in another interview. When the daily asked whether the fact that Trump had repaid his lawyer conflicted with the president's previous statements that he was unaware of the payment, Giuliani said it was "not [an] issue". "Cohen was his lawyer and had discretion to settle, as I have had for clients ultimately paying for it," he said. Trump was "probably not aware" of the payment at the time it was made, he said. The former New York Mayor later told Fox News that Trump repaid Cohen "over several months" by putting him on a "retainer of $ 35,000 when he was doing no work for the president." Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said, "This is exactly what we predicted would ultimately be shown. Every American, regardless of their politics, should be outraged." Asked if Giuliani's admission is evidence of a campaign finance violation, Avenatti simply said, "Yes." The president has repeatedly denied that he had an affair Daniels, who has described having intimate contact with Trump before he became president. Giuliani's comments are also in direct contrast to what Cohen has been saying for months that he used his own money to pay the actress. Cohen is under investigation by the FBI, which raided his home and office last month and seized documents that included information about the payment to Daniels. The hush-money payment to Daniels is reportedly a focus of a federal investigation into Cohen's private finances and business interests. Investigators are likely to examine whether the payment was legal under election campaign finance laws and whether Cohen disclosed the true reason for borrowing the funds.

Trump repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels hush money: Rudolph Giuliani

rudolph-giuliani

Rudolph Giuliani, News on Rudolph Giuliani, stories on Rudolph Giuliani, articles on Rudolph Giuliani, Rudolph Giuliani stories at Wion, Rudolph Giuliani news, Rudolph Giuliani latest news

rudolph giuliani

Trump says to consider pardons for some US soldiers accused of war crimes

Trump repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels hush money: Rudolph Giuliani