should have been. >> reporter: and then there's paul manafort. >> i have great respect for what he has done in terms of what he has gone through. >> reporter: winning praise from the president for not cooperating with prosecutors. >> it is called flipping and it ought to be illegal. >> reporter: the feds often make their case with star witnesses that turn on their bosses. the president's lawyer tells "the washington post", trump tower asked about the possibility of pardoning manafort several weeks ago but his legal team told him he should wait until all of the investigations are over. given manafort has another trial next month on the president's refusal to rule out a pardon amount to witness tampering? >> it is evidence of witness tamper. buying a ski mask is not a crime, but if i use it in a bank robbery it is evidence of a rhyme. >> reporter: democrats are slamming what they call a gop culture of corruption, but they're not talking impeachment yet. not that the president is worried.