Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before the House Judiciary Committee today and it’s as clear as ever that the Congress must begin an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump potential crimes, specifically obstruction of justice.
Let’s start with what we know — the Mueller Report found no evidence of collusion with the Russian government. However, Mueller couldn’t clear President Trump for the crime of obstruction of justice. The Special Counsel did not pursue an indictment for obstruction of justice because of the Department of Justice OLC (Office of Legal Counsel) decision which states that you cannot indict a sitting President.
Robert Mueller made this abundantly clear during his hearing today before the House Judiciary Committee.
Lieu: "The reason you did not indict Donald Trump… is because of the OLC decision. Is that correct?"
Mueller: "That is correct."
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) July 24, 2019
We know that Donald Trump asked his staff to falsify records in order to protect him from the ongoing investigation.
Richmond: "So it's fair to say the president tried to protect himself by asking staff to falsify records relevant to an ongoing investigation?"
Mueller: "I would say that's generally the summary."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 24, 2019
Even if Donald Trump was unsuccessful in getting his staff to falsify records, that can still be a crime. Robert Mueller confirmed this today:
Mucarsel-Powell: "Simply attempting to obstruct justice can be a crime, correct?"
Mueller: "Yes."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 24, 2019
To Summarize:
- Mueller didn’t recommend an indictment for Trump for obstruction of justice because of the OLC decision that a sitting President cannot be indicted.
- The President asked his staff to falsify records to protect him during the investigation.
- Attempting to obstruct justice, even if unsuccessful, is a crime.
This is more than enough to begin impeachment inquiries. The Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives, so starting the inquiries should not be a difficult task to accomplish.
Many Democrats running for President, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Cory Booker, have called on Congress to begin an impeachment inquiry.
Robert Mueller is testifying before the House Intelligence Committee this afternoon, and this article will be updated as necessary.
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