Former federal prosecutor: Trump 'should be charged' for his crimes
Former federal prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers called it an ‘easily chargeable and easily provable case.’
Former prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers signed on to letter with other prosecutors urging criminal charges against Trump because “those crimes happened” and she wants to see justice done.
Rodgers appeared on CNN on Monday to discuss the reasoning behind her support of the letter, which more than 380 former federal prosecutors have signed on to.
“This obstruction case against the president is an easily chargeable and easily provable case that would have been brought against anyone else,” she explained.
Rodgers worked at the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York. She was head of the office’s Organized Crime Unit and chief of the general crimes unit there. She is currently a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School and a CNN legal analyst.
Rodgers noted that those who have signed on to the document span the political spectrum and includes prosecutors who have served going back as far as the Eisenhower administration.
She noted that the takeaway from the Mueller report, “contrary to what the attorney general is saying,” is “this is an obstruction case and anyone else would have been charged.”
Trump’s appointed Attorney General William Barr has repeatedly claimed that the evidence of obstruction in the report is not sufficient to prosecute Trump. Barr also misled the public about the conclusions that Mueller drew in his report. Barr chose to skip a hearing in the House, rather than defend his deceptions before a committee led by Democrats.
“The president did obstruct justice, it’s just that he can’t be charged with it now. He could be charged when his term is over, he could be impeached by Congress because of it, but those crimes happened,” Rodgers said.
The prosecutor said she would like to see Congress “investigate impeachment” against Trump, noting that she believes “they will find high crimes and misdemeanors there.” She also said that if Trump leaves office in 2020, “I would like to see him charged” with crimes.
“This is an easily provable case,” Rodgers said. “He can be charged, and I think he should be charged.”
Trump has continued to act like he is above the law despite the evidence that he sought to obstruct justice while he was being investigated for contacts with Russian operatives. And Barr has operated as his defense lawyer, rather than as the chief law enforcement officer for the United States.
Now, it’s starting to look like their strategy may not be enough.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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