Obstruction of Justice: It Brought Down Nixon and It Wil Bring Down Trump Too

Trump’s Reflection From the Past and Look Into the Future

(That Ghost is Closing In — Bet on It)

Trump’s Letter Firing Comey: Possible Basis for Obstruction

(Impeachment Article I Possible)

“The fact that the president has lawful authority to take a particular course of action does not immunize him if he takes that action with the unlawful intent of obstructing a proceeding for an improper purpose.”

A very comprehensive study by legal experts published by the Brookings Institute (108 pages) is an excellent research and source document to answer this provocative yet timely subject and title of this analysis:

PRESIDENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: THE CASE OF DONALD J. TRUMP

[Published: OCTOBER 10, 2017]

That full report can be accessed here (.pdf format). Worth keeping for future reference as results from the Mueller investigation continues and eventually will wrap up.

Conclusion from the Analysis: 

In our estimation, the public discourse surrounding President Trump’s course of conduct, including the firing of FBI Director Comey, has lacked a detailed exploration of Trump’s possible obstruction of justice. That may be due to the necessarily piecemeal and delayed manner of disclosures about the relevant facts. It also may be the product of the cacophony of voices that dominate our news cycles — ones that can be too varied and conflicting to make a lasting impression. 

Our goal in this paper has been to inform the conversation by collecting the relevant facts and allegations (at least as we know them) and engaging in a rigorous and sustained analysis of the legal consequences that might flow from them. In that regard, the analysis herein is likely similar to that undertaken behind closed doors by the special counsel and his team on a daily basis. We of course recognize that their investigation is ongoing, and many facts are still to be determined.

With that caveat, our review of the facts and the law leads us to the view that the president likely obstructed justice. 

Should that conclusion be borne out, we believe he will be held to account under one or another of the vehicles we have outlined, for no one is above the law in our system. Accountability will have significant consequences for the functioning of our democracy. 

We offer this paper as a framework to evaluate the facts and the investigation as they develop, and to help prepare for the turbulence that may well lie ahead.

My assessment: A very strong case is being built against Trump as laid out in this analysis from the three legal minds.

Time will tell.

Stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by.