Posted on 01/18/2019 10:07:04 AM PST by Seizethecarp
When Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) asked President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, earlier this week whether it would be a crime if “the president tried to coach somebody not to testify, or testify falsely,” Barr was unequivocal: “Yes,” the nominee told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Under an obstruction statute, yes.”
Now that an explosive story published Thursday by BuzzFeed News alleges that Trump did just that, by ordering Michael Cohen, his former attorney, to lie to Congress, Barr’s answer presents the White House with a new quandary — the president’s own choice for the nation’s top law enforcement official has described such conduct as “classic” obstruction of justice. Barr said the same when pressed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), as well as in his own written statements. He has affirmed his view at least three times, both in a once-private memo and in sworn testimony.
The White House’s difficulty isn’t that Barr spoke out of turn or betrayed an unconventional opinion in line with Democratic talking-points, said David Alan Sklansky, a Stanford law professor. The problem for Trump, who pushed out Jeff Sessions as attorney general after seething that he had failed to protect him from the inquiry led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, is rather that a view more favorable to the president would have been indefensible, the criminal law scholar said.
The nominee’s clearly stated judgment "limits his ability to take a particular position in defense of the president, but that position would have been an untenable one anyway,” Sklansky said in an interview with The Washington Post. “It would have been more awkward to defend the nomination of an attorney general who didn’t think this is obstruction of justice. It’s not a controversial position.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Reportedly? Reported by whom? By the lyin’ enemedia?
There should be NO careers in politics. TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!
I've not tracked this closely. I thought Trump's position has been that the prospective Moscow deal had run out of steam in 2015. The Democrats have been trying to argue that Trump was still active in trying to make the deal well into the primary season in 2016, during the period in which they accuse him of sucking up to Putin and collaborating with the Russians to hack the election. From the current Buzzfeed story, it seems Cohen is supporting the story that the negotiations were still live in 2016. Even if true, however, that wouldn't answer the question of whether those talks were serious or perfunctory, or whether Trump was significantly involved.
Trump was no longer exercising day to day operational control of the business by that point but he would presumably have gotten periodic status reports which are potentially subject to malign characterization by his critics. Don Jr, Ivanka, and Jared, however, were operationally involved in the company. How deeply Trump relied on them during the campaign, I don't know, but he brought Ivanka and Jared into the White House, which opens another avenue of complication. Many here -- including the amen corner who want to regard DJT as the sublimely brilliant Jedi master playing n-dimensional chess and toying with the mere mortals in the opposition -- yeah, even them -- tended to agree that it was reckless and improper to ignore the nepotism rules and bring immediate family members who are running the business into government.
Who the hell recommended this guy Baar for AG? Was it Rosenstein or Schumer? Trump should pull his name from nomination if its not too late, the guyh’s a foul ball. Trump should have the same relationship with his AG like Obama had with Lynch and Holder, and like Bush had with Ashcroft.
THIS IS A COVERUP FOR YESTERDAYS NEWS THE BRUCE OHR PROVED COMEY LIED IN HIS FISA APPLICATION
If lying wasn’t a big thing then, why is it important today?
Every one lies. Still doesn’t rise to the level of an impeachable offense.
The Democrats’ own words on the subject.
I remember how the poop poo’d suborning perjury like it was j-walking.
He is usually 2 steps ahead.
However they have the corrupt media to help.
However we are still winning.
“It is not a Crime to talk to your Lawyer!”
But it is a serious ethics violation disclosing conversations under attorney/client privilege.
BREAKING NEWS
Nobody told the Washington post to tell lies. They just do it every time they write anything.
[yawn]
The Buzzfeed "revelation" is that Cohen did that alleged lying in 2017 because Trump told him to. So there are at least two questions, was it a lie (or did he lie about lying) and was he directed to lie.
“But it is a serious ethics violation disclosing conversations under attorney/client privilege.”
Is Cohen still a lawyer?
It very often can be. Telling your lawyer to lie, to destroy evidence, to threaten a witness-- all are prosecutable as obstruction of justice. Such prosecutions happen all the time.
“It very often can be. Telling your lawyer to lie, to destroy evidence, to threaten a witness— all are prosecutable as obstruction of justice. Such prosecutions happen all the time.”
It has to be proven.
And do you really think Michael Cohen was smart enough to have recorded conversations with President Trump?
Communications about a past crime are privileged. Communications about an ongoing or future crime are not privileged.
If my client tells me he killed someone, that's privileged. If he tells me he is going to have the witness against him killed, that isn't privileged.
It does. And at this point, Cohen's uncorroborated testimony is worthless.
And do you really think Michael Cohen was smart enough to have recorded conversations with President Trump?
Cohen, according to many reports, used to record all his phone calls. If he has this on tape, it could get serious. Otherwise, it will be another nothingburger.
Yawning.
“Cohen, according to many reports, used to record all his phone calls. If he has this on tape, it could get serious.”
No Way!
That’s crazy.
There is no way that Cohen is smart enough to record conversations, and there is no way that Trump is dumb enough to allow conversations to be recorded.
I agree about the last part-- no way Trump allowed conversations to be recorded.
It has been reported, though, that Cohen used to routinely tape calls to his law office, without telling the people he was talking to. If that's true (and it very well may not be), that would be a violation of legal ethics, but would not be enough to keep those tapes out of evidence.
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