During the course of his testimony, Special Counsel Robert Mueller faced a myriad of questions from both Democrats and Republicans regarding obstruction of justice and collusion with the Russian government.
However no such question and subsequent back and forth may have not been more substantial to today’s testimony than that of what Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) managed to more than likely unintentionally unveil.
That unveiling? Mueller seemingly admitting that Donald Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice after he leaves office.
Here’s the exchange between the two:
- Buck: “You made the decision on the Russian interference. You couldn’t have indicted the president on that, and you made the decision on that. But when it came to obstruction, you threw a bunch of stuff up against the wall to see what would stick.”
- Mueller: “I would not agree to that characterization at all. What we did is provide to the attorney general in the form of a confidential memorandum our understanding of the case. Those cases that were brought, those cases that were declined. And the — that one case where the president cannot be charged with a crime.”
- Buck: “Okay. But could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?”
- Mueller: “Yes.”
- Buck: “You believe you could charge the president with obstruction of justice after he left office?”
- Mueller: “Yes.”
It’s been a long-standing policy that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel’s opinion that a sitting president cannot be indicted which is something that Mueller followed to a tee. Nonetheless, however, Mueller’s Report and his testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee seems to be further indication that his investigation over the past two-plus years was nothing more than a roadmap for Congress to take things into their owns hands regarding impeachment. Mueller made this clear that OLC opinion does not apply once a president leaves office.
