A bold new legal defense for Trump: Presidents cannot obstruct justice

The following article by Sari Horwitz and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website December 4, 2017:

John Dowd, one of President Trump’s lawyers in the Russia investigation, is photographed exiting a federal court in New York in 2011. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

The brazen assertion Monday by one of President Trump’s lawyers that a president cannot be found guilty of obstruction of justice signaled a controversial defense strategy in the wide-ranging Russia probe, as Trump’s political advisers are increasingly concerned about the legal advice he is receiving.

Trump tweeted over the weekend that he knew then-national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador before firing him in February — and before FBI Director James B. Comey said Trump asked him to be lenient while investigating Flynn. Experts said the president’s admission increased his legal exposure to obstruction-of-justice charges, one of the core crimes under investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Continue reading “A bold new legal defense for Trump: Presidents cannot obstruct justice”