Sen. Markwayne Mullin has the Republican standard answer to Trump's criminality down pat... "I see nothing!"
As we discussed here, Jebus Johnson pulls this stunt all the time, and did so again this week when asked about Trump feigning ignorance on his pardoning of a crypto billionaire:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) played dumb after President Donald Trump stated that he did not know that he had pardoned a crypto billionaire.
During a press conference on Monday, CNN's Manu Raju noted that Trump claimed to "know nothing" about Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, even though the president had pardoned him after his company boosted the Trump family's crypto business.
"Last week, you were very critical of Biden's use of the autopen & pardons. But Trump admitted on 60 Minutes to not knowing he pardoned a crypto billionaire who pleaded guilty to money laundering. Does that also concern you?" Raju asked.
"I don't know anything about that," Johnson deflected. "I didn't see the interview. You have to ask the president about that. I'm not sure."
This Monday, it was one of the contestants for dumbest member of the United States Senate, Markwayne Mullin, took his turn during an appearance on Kaitlan Collins show on CNN.
COLLINS: The president has been asked twice in the last two weeks about a recent pardon that he signed for the founder of Binance. He goes by the name CZ, including by me two weeks ago, and then again this weekend by 60 Minutes.
After playing a portion of the 60 Minutes interview, Collins continued.
COLLINS: Should the president know who he's pardoning?
MULLIN: Well, I don't... I don't know anything about this one. That's the first time I've seen that. But I would say the president has the authority to pardon people, and that's within his realm to do it. So I'm not going to question who he pardons or he doesn't pardon.
COLLINS: But the argument from Republicans is that Biden used an autopen for pardons and that he didn't know who he was pardoning...
MULLIN: Well, we know that to be true.
COLLINS: I mean, Trump is openly saying he did not know who he was pardoning.
MULLIN: He said it was recommended to him. It's what he said, that it was recommended to him. He gets a lot of recommendations. He pardons a lot of people. Those were... that was his words. If you talk about the difference between Biden, Biden, his pardons were an autopen. That’s not even up for discussion.
COLLINS: But Biden also knew– I mean, he pardoned his family members. He knew who they were.
MULLIN: Well, that was one of how many thousands did he pardon? So, my point that I’m trying to get to Kaitlan, I’m not trying to avoid the question. I don’t know anything about it. This is the first time I’ve heard about the pardon.
The president has a right to pardon who he wants to. I guarantee he signed the pardon himself, not an autopen. And I know he has to take recommendations. That’s what we all do. You take recommendations, we take– I take recommendations. We got a great team that works around us. He’s got a great team that works around him. And he trusts them.
He trusts them good enough that if he thinks– I mean, you heard him say that if they think he needs to be pardoned, then he’ll sign the pardon. If he thinks they need to be dug in further, then he’ll dig in further. He has the right to question whoever he wants, but he also trusts his team around him.
COLLINS: But would you want to know who you're pardoning if you're pardoning someone?
MULLINS: I'm not the President of the United States nor the governor of a state. I'm a Senator, one of 100.
If this was a Democrat they'd all be howling about it nonstop and Fox would be running segments on it every single hour seven days a week.
But it's Trump, so we're treated to this.
