CNN – President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, John Dowd, claims the President cannot be guilty of obstructing justice, according to an interview with Axios.
“(The) President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under (the Constitution’s Article II) and has every right to express his view of any case,” Dowd told Axios.
The new defense comes after a tweet from Trump’s account suggested the President knew former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn had lied to the FBI when he was fired in February, raising questions about whether Trump knew about Flynn’s lying before pressuring former FBI Director James Comey to let go of inquiries into Russian election meddling.
The position that Trump cannot obstruct justice — which evokes a similar claim once made by former President Richard Nixon, who resigned over the Watergate scandal — is sure to be debated as special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation intensifies. Flynn is the first administration official to be charged as part of the probe.
The @realDonaldTrump account tweet was pushed out after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the US during the presidential transition.
“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI,” the Saturday tweet reads. “He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”
Dowd has said he drafted the tweet, but denied that it admitted obstruction.
“That is an ignorant and arrogant assertion,” Dowd told Axios.
President Trump's personal attorney, John Dowd, claims the President cannot be guilty of obstructing justice https://t.co/Ki6XxXg0a5 pic.twitter.com/VtnNZPnvUp
— CNN (@CNN) December 4, 2017
Former Obama administration White House counsel Bob Bauer disputed Dowd’s position.
“There is no express grant of immunity under the Constitution to protect the President who commits a felony,” he told CNN. “Those who have argued for it have to cobble together their case primarily out of a concern about the debilitating effects of a President in legal trouble on the conduct of government. But they have a high burden to carry in claiming that the President charged with faithful execution of the law is above it. It simply contravenes basic understandings about the rule of law in the constitutional order — as Richard Nixon learned in trying to withhold his incriminating tapes.”
It was a hell of a weekend for Dickfark Don. First Flynn flips and him, pleading guilty to lying to the FBI and said Kushski made him do it. Now Don finds himself in hot water for basically saying he knew Flynn lied to the FBI BEFORE the FBI knew he lied to them which is a major fucking no-no. It means Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey after begging him to drop the investigation into Flynn when he knew Flynn lied.
Dowd lied his fat face off saying he wrote the tweet and btw The President isn’t subject to any laws because he’s the big swinging dick in the dickhead factory and he makes the rules so fuck all y’all.
According to CNN Dowd is now in legal jeopardy for lying and Meuller is close to holding a few assholes like him accountable, and he’s in danger of losing his license to practice law.
The President, however, is not only in trouble, but he’s also finished. The Senate judiciary committee is in the process of drafting obstruction charge against POTUS and Impeachment is next.
You’re all part of history now, and all that’s left is the pee pee tape then I can die in peace.
Dean Blundell
Dean Blundell is a Canadian radio personality. Best known as a longtime morning host on CFNY-FM (The Edge) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2015 he was named the new morning host on sports radio station CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan). Dean started his career in radio in 2001 and for nearly 20 years been entertaining the radio audience. Dean’s newest venture is the launch of his site and podcast which is gaining tremendous momentum across North America.