Former FBI Director James Comey said a “flaming example” of President Trump having “corrupt intent” is when he allegedly ordered White House counsel Don McGahn to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
The McGahn episode was one of 10 instances of possible obstruction of justice that Mueller investigated in his 22-month-long Russia investigation.
During a CNN town hall on Thursday, exactly two years to the day Comey was fired, the former FBI director said “corrupt intent” is key to a chargeable case for obstruction. He said the episodes that involved him are not the most troublesome for Trump in his mind, but he listed two that he believes are damning.
“I actually think the ones that would be most likely charge ready, not necessarily the ones that involved me, but particularly this McGahn episode and another episode where he was trying to get the attorney general to limit the investigation only to future elections are examples that any reasonable prosecutor would charge,” Comey said.
The McGahn episode Comey said in his mind is a “flaming example” of “corrupt intent,” and dismissed Attorney General William Barr’s recent testimony in which he said, “what the president meant was he wanted Don McGahn to convey his concerns.”
Did @realDonaldTrump have criminal intent behind his actions flagged in the #MuellerReport?
“It sure looks like he did in connection with a couple of episodes, the direction to Don McGahn to get the special counsel fired is to my mind a flaming example.”
He elaborates: pic.twitter.com/U2K1JULBwT
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 10, 2019
“Well, really? Don McGahn went and called his lawyer, packed his office, and said he was going to quit,” Comey said. “I don’t think that’s the reaction of the White House counsel when it’s about conveying concerns.”
In his report Mueller details 10 instances in which Trump might have obstructed justice, but declines to say whether Trump committed a crime, citing a Justice Department guideline that sitting presidents cannot be indicted. Although Attorney General William Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove an obstruction crime, Democrats argue that Mueller’s report leaves it up to Congress to investigate and decide.
Comey says Mueller laid out a path for a future prosecutor to “take a serious look at charging” Trump after he is out of office.
