Here's a slice from the statement signed by 439 (and growing by the hour) former Federal prosecutors concerning just the obstruction of justice portion of the redacted Mueller report:
Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice. [snip]
We emphasize that these are not matters of close professional judgment. Of course, there are potential defenses or arguments that could be raised in response to an indictment of the nature we describe here. In our system, every accused person is presumed innocent and it is always the government’s burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. But, to look at these facts and say that a prosecutor could not probably sustain a conviction for obstruction of justice — the standard set out in Principles of Federal Prosecution — runs counter to logic and our experience.Confirming what we already knew, but in numbers that have to be taken seriously by Congress, the courts, and the media. Maybe.
As former federal prosecutors, we recognize that prosecuting obstruction of justice cases is critical because unchecked obstruction — which allows intentional interference with criminal investigations to go unpunished — puts our whole system of justice at risk. We believe strongly that, but for the OLC memo, the overwhelming weight of professional judgment would come down in favor of prosecution for the conduct outlined in the Mueller Report.
I'm glad that so many people from all sides and professional experience got together to put this together and sign it. I wish there was an actual application for how to use it against Trump, but as it stands, it's just a letter that shows how concerned people “in the know” feel about what this maniac is doing.
ReplyDeleteI hope it gets published somewhere for the general public to see. I hope perhaps it could be used as a tool in pursuit of impeachment. At least it serves as documentation that the Mueller report was legitimate and that obstruction took place. I feel like there's plenty of outrage about Trump and his terrible actions, but not much being done. We have to do something!