SCOTUS nominee Barrett refuses to say if president can pardon self

US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett won’t say whether a president can pardon himself but says she agrees no one is above the law.

Under questioning Wednesday from Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, President Donald Trump’s choice for the high court offers no view on the pardon issue. Multiple investigations are looking into Trump’s taxes, his businesses and his associates.

Barrett would not offer her thoughts on whether Trump would be able to pardon himself. But she agrees with Leahy’s assertion “no one is above the law.”

Barrett is in her third day of hearings and has repeatedly refused to say how she’d rule on various issues, including abortion and the Affordable Care Act.

Republican senators are moving at a break-neck pace to confirm Barrett before the November 3 election. Democrats say the process is being rushed.

— AP