Former FBI Director James Comey shared his opinion that President Trump obstructed justice regarding the special counsel investigation, but added that he would be surprised if Robert Mueller said that during his upcoming testimony.
Comey was on MSNBC’s Deadline Tuesday afternoon to discuss the testimony of Mueller, who is scheduled to appear in front of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
“A former colleague of mine from the Bush White House said they’re lucky Robert Mueller wasn’t forced to render a decision because it looks to this individual like he would have said, fine I recommend prosecution. Is it your sense that might be true?” Nicolle Wallace asked. “Do you agree with the 800-plus prosecutors who have said if Donald Trump were anyone other than the president of the United States, he would have absolutely been charged with obstruction?”
In the second volume of the Mueller report, the special counsel laid out 10 instances that could have been considered obstruction of justice but did not make a determination on those cases, following a Department of Justice guideline that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.
“So, I think the second question first: Yes, I agree. If this were a case about someone other than the president, they’d have already been indicted on several of these obstruction incidents, maybe all of them, I don’t know. But Director Mueller, I think, if pressed, would reach a decision at least on some of them there is sufficient basis to charge the president,” Comey answered.
He added, “I doubt if he’s pressed tomorrow he would give any answers along the line of what we’re talking about.”
