Trump might block Mueller testimony because that's what he's 'feeling'
Blocking Mueller’s testimony would be Trump’s latest obstructive move.
Trump’s obstruction of justice continues to get more and more brazen, with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders now saying Trump may prevent special counsel Robert Mueller from testifying before Congress about his report, purely based on Trump’s “feeling” about the matter.
Trump tweeted over the weekend that Mueller shouldn’t be allowed to testify, writing a lie-filled tweet in which he said Mueller didn’t find Trump committed any crimes.
“Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
(Of course, Mueller laid out nearly a dozen instances in which he said Trump attempted to obstruct justice, which hundreds of former federal prosecutors say would have led to Trump’s indictment had he been a regular citizen.)
When ABC News asked Sarah Sanders on Tuesday about whether the tweet was a directive to Bill Barr, Sanders said, “that’s the president’s feeling on the matter, and the reason is because we consider this as a case closed, as a finished process.”
Attorney General Bill Barr — who has played defense for Trump surrounding the Mueller report — said during a Senate hearing last week that he had no objections to Mueller testifying.
If Barr blocked Mueller’s testimony, it would be a clear instance in which he bowed to pressure to protect Trump.
The move would come after Trump on Tuesday blocked former White House counsel Don McGahn from handing over documents related to Mueller’s investigation that were key to the obstruction of justice segment of the probe.
On Monday, Trump also blocked his Treasury secretary from complying with a law that demands he hand over Trump’s tax returns.
The Associated Press reported Monday that it’s hard to envision a legal reason the DOJ could cite to block Mueller’s testimony.
But judging by how Trump has gotten his Cabinet secretaries to serve as his de facto defense team, it’s very likely the DOJ could pull together some bogus reasoning to obstruct justice and further knock down the rule of law.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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