“Barred” from Obstruction
Why the Attorney General’s unilateral exoneration of the President for obstruction is not only grossly misleading, but detrimental to the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.
On April 18, 2019, Attorney General William P. Barr delivered remarks on the Mueller Report prior to publishing a redacted version of its 448 pages. In addition to dismissing potential charges of conspiracy to collude with Russia during the 2016 election, Mr. Barr highlighted that the “evidence developed by the Special Counsel is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.” Mr. Barr found that the President had a “sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency”, therefore permitting him to counter the supposed “witch hunt.” Never before has such a vast exception to obstruction been articulated by anyone, let alone the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.
Despite the fact that nobody interviewed Donald J. Trump to assess his “corrupt intent” — a pivotal factor for an obstruction charge — and that when asked about his 2016 presidential campaign, the man who once claimed that he had “one of the world’s greatest memories” could not remember basic details, Mr. Barr still found it appropriate to conclude…
