Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

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bannination
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Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

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Definition of obstruction:

Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsified, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under Title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

From the Mueller report:
“Our investigation found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations,” Mueller wrote. “The incidents were often carried out through one-on-one meetings in which the President sought to use his official power outside of usual channels. These actions ranged from efforts to remove the Special Counsel and to reverse the effect of the Attorney General’s recusal; to the attempted use of official power to limit the scope of the investigation; to direct and indirect contacts with witnesses with the potential to influence their testimony.”

What the Mueller report says about obstruction

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Vrede too
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Re: Is President Trump Guilty of obstruction?

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"If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president did not obstruct justice, we would so state. We are unable to reach that judgment. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment."
-- Mueller report

“If we had had confidence that the president had clearly not committed a crime, we would have said so. Charging the president with a crime is not an option we could consider. It would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge.”
— Mueller resignation statement, 5/29/19

2 different, largely complimentary analyses of the Mueller report on obstruction:
1. Mueller found evidence Chump obstructed justice (p. 157 & 182).
2. Mueller listed that evidence in 10 areas (p. 15 -156)
3. Mueller said he would not indict Chump because of DOJ policy that prohibits criminal indictment and prosecution of a president (p. 1 & 15).
4. Mueller said he would not accuse Chump of committing federal crimes because that would place a burden on his capacity to govern and preempt constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct (p. 1).
5. Mueller said Congress may apply obstruction laws to the president's corrupt exercise of the powers of his office in accordance with the constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law (p. 8).
Page 182 (linear page 394), paragraph 1 (CONCLUSION)
https://apps.npr.org/documents/document ... llerreport
10 areas where Mueller believes obstruction of justice took place
Volume II, Pages 15 - 156
1. The Campaign's Response to Reports About Russian Support for Trump (Pages 15 - 23)
2. The President’s Conduct Concerning the Investigation of Michael Flynn (Pages 24 - 48)
3. The President's Reaction to Public Confirmation of the FBI's Russia Investigation (Pages 48 - 61)
4. Events Up to and Surrounding the Termination of FBI Director Comey (Pages 61 - 77)
5. The President’s Efforts to Remove the Special Counsel (Page 77 - 90)
6. The President's Efforts to Curtail the Special Counsel Investigation (Pages 90 - 98)
7. The President's Efforts to Prevent Disclosure of Emails About the June 9, 2016, Meeting Between Russians and Senior Campaign Officials (Pages 98 - 107)
8. The President's Further Efforts to Have the Attorney General Take Over the Investigation (Pages 107 - 120)
9. The President's Conduct Towards Manafort, Flynn, [READACTED] (Pages 120 - 133)
10. The President's Conduct Involving Michael Cohen (Page 134 - 156)
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Vrede too
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Re: Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

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Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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bannination
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Re: Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

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STATEMENT BY OVER 1000 FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS
We are former federal prosecutors. We served under both Republican and Democratic administrations at different levels of the federal system: as line attorneys, supervisors, special prosecutors, United States Attorneys, and senior officials at the Department of Justice. The offices in which we served were small, medium, and large; urban, suburban, and rural; and located in all parts of our country.

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.
Source

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Vrede too
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Re: Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

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bannination wrote:
Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:54 pm
STATEMENT BY OVER 1000 FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS
We are former federal prosecutors. We served under both Republican and Democratic administrations at different levels of the federal system: as line attorneys, supervisors, special prosecutors, United States Attorneys, and senior officials at the Department of Justice. The offices in which we served were small, medium, and large; urban, suburban, and rural; and located in all parts of our country.

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.
Source
That was well before the Ukraine revelations.

Former Watergate Prosecutors Say Trump Should Be Impeached
The group drew clear parallels between the current president and Richard Nixon in a Washington Post op-ed.
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neoplacebo
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Re: Is President Trump guilty of obstruction?

Unread post by neoplacebo »

Well, trump has bleated many times "no obstruction" so I guess it's true. This whole thing makes me wish I weren't living through it. It's hideous.

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