Trump, Meadows and Jordan Collude to Obstruct Special Counsel Investigation Involving Trump
Trump, Meadows and Jordan Collude to Obstruct Special Counsel Investigation Involving Trump
President Donald Trump, Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) are colluding to obstruct and potentially give Trump control over Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal investigation in which Trump is a subject.
In recent days, Meadows and Jordan have threatened to file articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein if he does not turn over to them documents relating to the Special Counsel’s investigation of the President and his associates.
This was followed by the President attacking the Justice Department for not turning over the documents to Meadows and Jordan and tweeting, “At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!”
It would be highly inappropriate for Trump, Meadows and Jordan to obtain the Justice Department documents they are seeking. According to a letter from DOJ Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd to Meadows and Jordan that rejected their request for documents involved in the Special Counsel investigation:
The department recognizes the keen interest that Congress has in the special counsel’s investigation, but respectfully, we must adhere to the longstanding position of the department that congressional inquiries pertaining to ongoing criminal investigations threaten the integrity of those investigations.
The Justice Department’s longstanding position is all the more important when Members of Congress appear to be acting on behalf of the subject of an active investigation, such as President Trump.
The reckless attempt by the President, assisted by his two helpers in the House, to thwart a criminal investigation involving his own activities constitutes gross abuse of office and a direct attack on the rule of law.
Furthermore, this appears to be a set up that would allow the President to improperly order Rosenstein to turn over the documents to Meadows and Jordan, and then to fire him when he refuses to do so.
Firing Rosenstein would give President Trump the ability to put his own loyalist into Rosenstein’s role as overseer and ultimate decision-maker for the Special Counsel investigation.
The President’s effort to interfere with a criminal investigation of his own activities is like the behavior of despots all over the world who believe they are above the law. The nation has not seen an effort like President Trump’s since President Nixon tried and failed to thwart the Special Prosecutor’s criminal investigation of his activities in Watergate.
President Trump must be prevented from grabbing control of the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into his own activities. President Trump’s attempts to undermine the rule of law in our nation must be defeated.
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Released: May 3, 2018
