OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE is defined by U.S. law as an act that “corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not and could not exonerate President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice, and instead laid out [for Congress] at least 10 different ways by which the president tried to obstruct justice. This was based on all the hard evidence and testimonies given, not by Trump’s political enemies but by his staff and appointees, under oath, in the probe on whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia in its attack against our democracy by interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
In fact, Mueller said in his report that these attempts failed because his staff did not obey his orders, saving the president from more legal peril. However, the mere attempt to obstruct justice is already against the law as a way of abuse of power, as well as the moral and ethical principles and standards we expect from the President of the United States — who is duty bound by the Constitution to respect and follow the rule of law and the fair and administration of justice for all Americans, instead of impeding it.
Trump — after exonerating himself from collusion and obstruction of justice based on the Mueller report — now plays the victim role again, criticizing the Mueller report, downplaying the assault of Russia in our democracy and turned the blame to his political opponents. Worse yet, he goes against the U.S. Constitution, by continuing his brazen attempts to obstruct justice in Congress’ probe in its investigation on the alleged abuse of power of the president, following the oversight mandate accorded to it by the Constitution to make sure no one person or institution in government abuses power.
Trump is now desperately trying to stop former White House Counsel Don McGahn from testifying before Congress, calling McGahn a liar in his testimony given to Mueller that Trump ordered him to fire Mueller, among other acts of abuse as president.
It is important to note that McGahn is a Counsel of the White House, the Office of the President, and NOT of Donald Trump, and is duty bound to obey the law.
McGahn testified under oath before Mueller for 30 hours and submitted hard evidence, including a contemporaneous memo which detailed his interactions with Trump on the day interactions happened — a practice followed by law enforcement officials for evidentiary purposes.
Trump, on the other hand, has been lying to the American people from the beginning and never sat down with Mueller for an interview under oath, choosing instead to submit incomplete and insufficient answers to questions.
The president has not only targeted McGahn, now a private citizen, in his attempt to obstruct justice. He ordered his staff to ignore any subpoenas coming from Congress to testify under oath.
Trump is using his power to again obstruct justice using taxpayer-funded resources to prevent these witnesses from revealing the truth to Congress and the American people. What is Trump hiding?
Are you after the TRUTH? Who would you believe: Donald Trump or Don McGahn?
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
