MEDIA/PARDONS/PAUL MANAFORT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is not currently looking to pardon Paul Manafort after he was found guilty on eight felony charges, the White House said Wednesday [8-22-18]. But according to a Fox News reporter who asked the president earlier in the day, Trump is indeed considering letting his former campaign chairman off the hook…However, ‘Fox & Friends’ anchor Ainsley Earhardt, after speaking with the president during an interview set to air in full on Thursday, said Trump is weighing the possibility of forgiving Manafort’s bank- and tax-fraud crimes…A Virginia jury on Tuesday [8-21-18] found Manafort guilty on eight of 18 counts related to tax and bank fraud, in the first of two federal trials resulting from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The judge in Alexandria, Virginia, declared a mistrial on the remaining counts after jurors couldn’t reach a consensus. The president earlier this week said that he was not looking to pardon Manafort. However, he has since offered high praise for Manafort — a contrast to when Trump tried to distance himself earlier this year.”
–Rebessa Morin and Quint Forgey, “Fox anchor who interviewed Trump: He is looking to pardon Manafort,” Politico, August 22, 2018 10:46 pm