Trump Said He’d Pardon Aides Who Illegally Seized Land For Border Wall

President Donald Trump told aides that he would pardon them if they broke the law in pursuit of his border wall, according to a new report from the Washington Post. The claims have been denied by the White House but are consistent with Trump’s rhetoric on the wall.

Trump reportedly told aides he would pardon them if they seized land illegally using eminent domain, violated environmental regulations or forced through contracts worth billions of dollars.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pardon you,” Trump said.

The President is desperate to get the wall built before the 2020 election, according to the report. Trump doesn’t seem to care how the wall gets built – even if this means worrying about the legal consequences later. The wall was a key plank of his 2016 election campaign.

In more than two years of his presidency, very little progress has been made on the border wall. Most experts and politicians dismissed the idea when he first proposed it and though many Republicans have toed the line since Trump’s election, the wall has still not been built.

Trump’s willingness to ignore the law to get what he wants is not new. He has frequently claimed to have special powers, denied other branches of the government have the right to rein him in and has a personal history of legal troubles. However, his urgent desire for the border wall could indicate he’s worried about his re-election chances.