Robert Mueller inflicted serious damage to the Trump administration during his testimony earlier today before the House Judiciary Committee. The former Special Counsel shredded once and for all the president’s claim that the Mueller Report exonerated him of any obstruction of justice.
Instead, Mueller made it abundantly clear that the report did not exonerate Trump. He explained that even if he had wanted to bring charges against Trump for any of the ten occasions on which it appears Trumped sought to obstruct justice, the Special Counsel would not have been able to do so because existing Office of Legal Counsel protocol dictates that a sitting president can not be indicted.
The real bombshell came when Mueller said that he believes a president can be criminally charged once he leaves office, effectively opening up the possibility that Donald Trump may yet face justice for obstructing justice.
When Trump was confronted about Mueller’s comments by reporters, he promptly threw a fit, lashing out personally at those around him. He was visibly agitated and barely able to constrain his temper as he unleashed a tidal wave of misinformation and “fake news” smears.
He also misrepresented a minor correction Mueller made to his testimony, trying desperately to paint it as total vindication for himself when in reality it was just Mueller trying to be more precise in his response.
Trump gets mad when a reporter asks him if he's concerned about getting indicted after he leaves office, says "WikiLeaks is a hoax just like everything else" and calls the reporter "fake news" pic.twitter.com/fwAqhOZv1Z
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 24, 2019
Paula Reid of CBS asked Trump about Mueller’s statement that he could be charged once he leaves office. Once again, the president lost his temper, instinctively lying and claiming that Mueller didn’t say why he did, in fact, say. He followed it up with another “fake news” tirade, proving himself incapable of providing any kind of substantive refutation or defense.
He then zeroed in on Reid herself and said that she is not an “honest reporter,” a particularly ironic insult coming from the most habitually mendacious president in American history.
ME: “Mueller said you could be criminally charged after leaving office?”
TRUMP: Denies Mueller said this and then when I challenge him on facts, calls me “the worst.” #MuellerDay #MuellerHearing pic.twitter.com/1v66aApQKJ— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) July 24, 2019
It’s clear that Trump is deeply unnerved and worried about what Mueller said today and what it could mean for his future. Hopefully, Mueller proves correct and criminal charges are brought against this crook the moment he’s voted out of the White House.