Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMueller must file a report with Congress and Trump can't block it!
Terrific thread from the man who wrote the DOJ reg under which Special Counsel Mueller operates. Mueller must file a report with Congress and Trump cant block it!
Link to tweet
THREAD ON WHETHER MUELLER REPORT WILL BE PUBLIC, AND @washingtonpost STORY ABOUT TRUMP HIRING MANY NEW LAWYERS TO ASSERT EXEC PRIVILEGE. Short Answer: It will be public.
1.The special counsel rules, which I drafted at DOJ 20 years ago, contemplate 2 kinds of reports. One is a report from Mueller to the AG, at the close of his investigation: a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by the Special Counsel.
Link to tweet
2. That document is to be confidential. But there is a second, separate reporting requirement, which forces the AG to notify Congress with an explanation for each action upon conclusion of the Special Counsels investigation, including
3. ... a description and explanation of instances (if any) in which the AG concluded that a proposed action by a Special Counsel was so inappropriate or unwarranted under established Departmental practices that it should not be pursued.
4.That report must explain why the investigation has concluded, and any instance in which the AG overruled the Special Counsel. The provision was designed to ensure Congressional and public confidence in the integrity of the process.
5.Notably, we wrote the circumstances for an AG to overrule a Special Counsel very tightlyit has to violate established Departmental practices.
6. So, to take one hypothetical example, generic DOJ opinions about whether a sitting President could be indicted do not create an established Departmental practice about whether an individual could be indicted for successfully cheating in a Presidential election.
7.There is no DOJ established practice that says if a Presidential candidate cheats enough and wins the Presidency, that he gets a get-out-of-jail-free card.
8.There is one other important aspect to the regulations. If a Special Counsel is worried that the AG may cover something up, the regs give him an important weapon.
9.Because they require a mandatory report to Congress about any instance of the AG overruling a Special Counsel, they put the thumb on the scale of a Special Counsel telling the AG he will take a sensitive act and waiting for AG to say no. That triggers the reporting requirement.
10. It is a safeguard to prevent a cover-up, it creates a mandatory report to a separate and coequal branch of govt. So that is why I believe Mueller has a move left to play if Whitaker or Barr (if confirmed) try to stymie him and his full report.
11. Now the President can try to claim executive privilege. Nixon tried that, it didnt turn out so well. He got crushed in the Supreme Court. Trumps claim appears even weakermuch wont even concern presidential deliberations&the part that might (Comey) has been waived by Trump.
12.And here, there is another problem: Trumps legal team has been saying they dont think a sitting President can be indicted.
13. Leaving aside the point above in (6) and (7), the only way that claim makes any sense is if the President must be impeached first. Every real scholar who says a sitting President cant be indicted couples that with a view that impeachment is the remedy.
14. So if the President asserts the view he cant be indicted, he has to allow the turnover of all investigative material to Congress. Otherwise he would be no different than King George III, literally above the law.
15.This point is fleshed out in my NYT op-ed below. The key point is that even if you think Trump won't be indicted, his legal claims about his immunity from indictment set up&invite the launch of impeachment investigation+eviscerate his exec priv claims.
Link to tweet
16. Bottom line: the President can try to hide the Mueller Report. He will lose to the publics right to know.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
6 replies, 1583 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (27)
ReplyReply to this post
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Mueller must file a report with Congress and Trump can't block it! (Original Post)
MelissaB
Jan 2019
OP
dalton99a
(81,570 posts)2. Kick
California_Republic
(1,826 posts)3. Sweet! Excellent information!
I well sleep better tonight. I was fearful that the acting AG was suppressing Mueller and maybe so but the final report will say if that happen.
mucifer
(23,565 posts)4. Interesting. Adam Schiff on Rachel tonight said he thought trump or the justice dept might
be able to block the report from coming to congress.
BigmanPigman
(51,627 posts)5. I posted this earlier
"If the GOP blocks Mueller's report the Dems can have him testify
to Congress and tell them what the conclusions of the investigation are. Rep. Nadler (Judiciary Comm)just told this to Chris Hayes.
This is one option to get around the GOP blocking Mueller's conclusions from being released to the public and them."
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211649649
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,414 posts)6. what theme song goes with those "Jail to the Chief" signs?
Maybe ...