Donald Trump has insisted he has "the complete power to pardon" - fuelling speculation he is considering using the device to extricate himself and members of his team from an investigation into collusion with Russia to interfere in the US election.
The President made the statement during an early-morning stream of posts on Twitter, saying: "While all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS."
It comes amid mounting pressure on the leader and his administration over their alleged links with the Kremlin's purported attempts to influence the vote last November in his favour.
Just yesterday, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to rule out the possibility Mr Trump would use his pardon power to shield himself, his family, and his administration from federal lawsuits.
Ms Huckabee Sanders told reporters during her first press briefing following the resignation of Sean Spicer, who announced his resignation as White House press secretary earlier that day. Ms Huckabee Sanders is slated to take his place as press secretary.
"I'd refer you to the comments that have already been made by the outside counsel," Ms Huckabee Sanders said when asked about the President's position on pardons.
Hours earlier, the emergence of Russian court documents seen by Reuters showed the Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr before his father's election counted the country's FSB security service among her clients for years.
There is no suggestion that Natalia Veselnitskaya was an employee of the Russian government or intelligence services, and she has denied having anything to do with the Kremlin.
But the fact she represented the FSB in a court case prompted intensified questions of the Trump administration.
Following the tweet about his power to pardon, the President embarked on a familiar tirade about Hillary Clinton emails and sacked FBI director James Comey.
He went on to suggest Ms Clinton, the Democratic candidate he defeated to enter the White House, had "deleted (& acid washed) her 33,000 emails.
Mr Trump compared this with the fact his son, Donald Jr "openly gave his e-mails to the media & authorities".
Following Donald Jr's release of the emails, it emerged he had done so minutes before the New York Times was due to publish details of their contents.
The President also urged Republican senators to "step up to the plate" in the ongoing but so-far unsuccessful effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.
