What do the following sentences mean?

“You can’t abridge your power to do it. That’s something you can decide down the road one way or the other,”

Context
Rudolph W. Giuliani, an attorney for President Trump, said Sunday that he has counseled the president against granting a pardon to his longtime fixer Michael Cohen, at least for now.

“I have advised the president, which he understands: no discussion of pardons,” Giuliani said in an appearance on ABC News’s “This Week.” But he seemed not to rule out that the president might change his mind.

“You can’t abridge your power to do it. That’s something you can decide down the road one way or the other,” Giuliani said.

Cohen, who is Trump’s former attorney and who once famously said that he was prepared to “take a bullet” and “do anything” to protect him, is under intensifying scrutiny from federal prosecutors in Manhattan. They are investigating his business practices, as is the team led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating matters connected to Cohen as part of the broader probe of Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by the president.

Question

What do the following sentences mean?

“You can’t abridge your power to do it. That’s something you can decide down the road one way or the other,”


Context>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rudolph W. Giuliani, an attorney for President Trump, said Sunday that he has counseled the president against granting a pardon to his longtime fixer Michael Cohen, at least for now.

“I have advised the president, which he understands: no discussion of pardons,” Giuliani said in an appearance on ABC News’s “This Week.” But he seemed not to rule out that the president might change his mind.

“You can’t abridge your power to do it. That’s something you can decide down the road one way or the other,” Giuliani said.

Cohen, who is Trump’s former attorney and who once famously said that he was prepared to “take a bullet” and “do anything” to protect him, is under intensifying scrutiny from federal prosecutors in Manhattan. They are investigating his business practices, as is the team led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating matters connected to Cohen as part of the broader probe of Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by the president.

cmertb · Accepted Answer

abridge = shorten, reduce, curtail. Trump has the power to pardon, and he should not voluntarily give up that power. However, he is advised not to do it at this time, but think about it later. "Down the road" = in the future. He can decide in the future one way (to pardon) or the other (not to pardon).

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