House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) held a press conference Thursday afternoon about the release of the Mueller report in which he told reporters that impeaching President Trump is “one possibility”, but that it is too soon to tell as he wants see the unredacted Mueller report and “other evidence”. Nadler also said, “I think it was probably written with the intent of providing Congress a roadmap … with a lot of the redactions and others AG Barr appears to be trying to frustrate that effort.”
NADLER on impeachment: "That's one possibility… it's too early to reach those conclusions." pic.twitter.com/f2GhqrheqM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 18, 2019
.@RepJerryNadler says Mueller's report could very well be a roadmap to impeachment of Trump.
"I think it was probably written with the intent of providing Congress a roadmap … with a lot of the redactions and others AG Barr appears to be trying to frustrate that effort." pic.twitter.com/xozP7jMrf2
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 18, 2019
Also Thursday, Yoni Applebaum, writing at The Atlantic, said the Mueller report is an impeachment referral, citing a section of the report where Mueller states Congress has a role to play. However, Applebaum takes the curious position that impeachment would give Trump a chance to clear his name.
The redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report released on Thursday runs 448 pages. But its most important implication can be summarized in a single sentence: There is sufficient evidence that President Donald Trump obstructed justice to merit impeachment hearings.
A basic principle lies at the heart of the American criminal-justice system: The accused is entitled to a fair defense and a chance to clear his name. Every American is entitled to this protection, from the humblest citizen all the way up to the chief executive. And that, Mueller explained in his report, is why criminal allegations against a sitting president should be considered by Congress and not the Justice Department. The Mueller report, in short, is an impeachment referral.
Applebaum notes that Mueller did not clear Trump of obstruction of justice, even though Mueller admits he did not have sufficient evidence to accuse Trump of obstruction.
…if Mueller believed he could not fairly say that the president had committed a crime, he also believed he could not honestly say that he hadn’t. “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state,” the report explained:
“Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him”
As implied by the Mueller report itself, it is this ambiguity that will be used to push for an impeachment inquiry based on Mueller’s list of ten possible but not proven accusations of obstruction against Trump now that the Russia collusion hoax has been officially debunked.
Here are the ten instances of obstruction analyzed in the report:
POTUS' conduct relating to
(1) Flynn investigation;
(2) Public confirmation of FBI's Russia investigation;
(3) termination of Comey;
(4) attempt to remove Mueller;
(5) attempt to curtail the SCO probe; 1/2— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 18, 2019
(6) prevent disclosure of campaign emails about Trump Tower Russia meeting;
(7) order to have Sessions resume control over SCO;
(8) order for McGahn to lie;
(9) conduct toward Flynn, Manafort, and [Redacted] (It's Roger Stone); and
(10) conduct toward Michael Cohen.— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 18, 2019
MUELLER LEAVES OBSTRUCTION Q TO CONGRESS:
“The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the president’s corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law.” pic.twitter.com/QhPfrlznCY
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) April 18, 2019
MSNBC video clip of Nadler attacking Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the Mueller report:
House Judiciary Cmte. Chairman Nadler: "Attorney General Barr appears to have shown an unsettling willingness to undermine his own Department in order to protect President Trump." pic.twitter.com/PIiKYUam4t
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 18, 2019