Based on the findings of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, President Trump would have been charged with felony obstruction charges were he not currently serving as president, according to a joint statement signed by almost 400 former federal prosecutors and published online Monday.
“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,” the joint statement, which was posted on Medium, said.
“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,” they said.
Then the group listed several actions the president took that “satisfy all of the elements in an obstruction charge,” including his “efforts to fire Mueller and to falsify evidence,” his attempts “to limit the scope of Mueller’s investigation,” and “witness tampering and intimidation.”
The statement has been signed by, as of this writing, 415 former federal prosecutors and is allowing new ones to add their names per approval. Their range of experience reported goes from one year in the Department of Justice to 41 years.
Mr. Mueller’s report concluded Mr. Trump’s team did not collude with Russia to win the 2016 election but that the president’s attempts to obstruct the investigation could be seen as problematic.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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