This looks very bad for Trump’s former lead counsel John Dowd: Trump lawyer floated idea of pardoning Manafort and Flynn.

Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s lawyer, John Dowd, floated the possibility last year with lawyers for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort that the President might issue pardons for both men, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing three individuals with knowledge of the discussions.

The conversations happened as special counsel Robert Mueller “was building cases against both men,” the Times reported, which raises “questions about whether the lawyer, John Dowd, was offering pardons to influence their decisions about whether to plead guilty and cooperate in the investigation” into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Imagine my shock and surprise that everyone involved in this story is vigorously denying it. But it strongly suggests there was more behind Dowd’s departure from Trump’s legal team than first reported, and if it can be proven it means potential legal and/or ethical issues for Dowd — and for our so-called president, if he directed Dowd to float this offer.