Senate Dem: Trump could still be indicted

[laserhaas]

Source: The HILL

Link to tweet

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Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said late Wednesday that President Trump could still be indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, despite claims by Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

"The president is not above the law, and an indictment - if that's the course that Robert Mueller chooses to go - I believe would be upheld by the courts," Blumenthal told CNN.

Giuliani said earlier Wednesday that Mueller's team has told Trump that it can't indict a sitting president.

"They can't indict. At least they acknowledged that to us after some battling. They acknowledged that to us," Giuliani said.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/news/388095-blumenthal-trump-could-still-be-indicted?amp&__twitter_impression=true

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[flibbitygiblets]

1. Oh yeah?

[Mr. Ected]

2. Best way to test a theory is to put it into motion

Can't wait for the day Mueller drops an indictment or two or six on the Don.

Dollars to donuts that in this case, since the election results were potentially altered by the accused's alleged criminal acts, the very basis of his "interference with the execution of my duties as President" defense is undermined. You can't conspire with a foreign government to throw an election and then claim that the privileges you acceded to shield you from liability. It would be a miscarriage of justice. Many of his crimes were prior to the election and prior to the protections he claims.

If the concept that no person in America is above the law isn't applied here, then America is a fraud. If our representatives in Washington can conspire to do unthinkable acts and then claim immunity, that precedent will ultimately destroy the very thing we stand for.

I don't see that happening. Someone has to be the example of what happens when a President, or a Majority House leader, or the rich son-in-law of the Commander in Chief, makes a mockery of American justice. The "America: Is Democracy a Myth?" countdown has begun.

[BigmanPigman]

3. The question is if Rosenstein would allow it.

He said this...

This isn't the first time the issue has been questioned. Earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller investigation, was asked about whether a sitting president could be indicted while speaking at an event.

"I'm not going to answer this in the context of any current matters, so you shouldn't draw any inference about it," Rosenstein previously said. "But the Department of Justice has in the past, when the issue arose, has opined that a sitting President cannot be indicted. There's been a lot of speculation in the media about this, I just don't have anything more to say about it."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/16/politics/richard-blumenthal-trump-indictment/index.html

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Is there such a thing as a deferred indictment (possibly sealed)?

Could Mueller issue a public indictment as part of his report, but it be deferred until tRump leaves office (for whatever reason)? Hmm, that could be a disincentive for him to resign / not re-offer. Could, I suppose in dark fantasies, be an incentive for him to suspend elections on some pretext.

Could a sealed indictment be effectively a deferred indictment? But if Mueller's investigation closed up shop first, then who would do the unsealing if it is based on "leaving office" since there is no definite date for that depending on resignation, death, running again, or not running again.

[Ccarmona]

5. There Definitely Could be Sealed Indictments Filed Against Trump

That would be issued by the Grand Jury. If Mueller wraps up His Investigation before Trump leaves office, Mueller’s first responsibility will be to submit his report to the DOJ and Congress.

[laserhaas]

6. The issue is subjective.

If the Donald shot someone on the sidewalk (like he bragged he could do) - What would transpire ? (Outside of McQuackers claims of executive privilege).

The President could be presumed doomed - once Jared and Jr. we're indicted.

Regardless of contentions, we all see there are 2 different set of standards for the elite and the rest of U.S. (just ask former OSC Scott Bloch).

Neither the opine of Giuliani nor this elected - is dispositive - on the matter.

[SkatmanRoth]

7. Who cares about indictments; I want Impeachment

Throw the bum out first, then send him and his whole cabal to prison.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. I don't understand what this whole mess is about. If the president (or ...

the office of the president) can't be indicted for a crime, then why have the vice president's office even? In the event of incapacity or the like, the vice president steps in. The framers of the constitution surely didn't allow the president to escape personal responsibility for anything (or anyone else for that matter), after all, they didn't want the United States ruled by a king, but a fixed term, actual person (not royal blue, or 'god').

Which means that they wanted a 'normal' person, subject to everyday rules and morality, as well as the whole chain of authority type stuff, should anything happen. I think that they should indict the asshat, and find out once and for all. I think that the SCOTUS would agree w/ me.