'...On the issue of obstruction, Mueller appears to have punted. ... The question then arises: who did Mueller intend to punt to? The answer, it seems, is Congress -- not Barr,' writes eliehonig for CNNOpinion
In this weekly column"Cross-exam," Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor and CNN legal analyst, gives his take on the latest legal news and answers questions from readers. Post your questions below. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN. Watch Honig answer reader questions on"CNN Newsroom" at 5:40 p.m. ET Sundays.
In his four-page letter summarizing the"principle conclusions" of special counsel Robert Mueller, Attorney General William Barr took unwarranted, unilateral action of enormous consequence when he inserted himself between Mueller -- whose report"did not draw a conclusion, one way or the other -- as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction" -- and Congress.
Yes, on the issue of obstruction, Mueller appears to have punted. Barr notes that Mueller"ultimately determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment" and, on the issue of obstruction, that Mueller's report"does not conclude that the President committed a crime, [and] it also does not exonerate him."Elie HonigMueller clearly found some quantum of compelling evidence of obstruction.
How William Barr defines obstruction of justice 03:01Traditionally, the Department of Justice carefully reviews all pardon requests through the Office of the Pardon Attorney and then makes recommendations to the President. President Trump reportedly has ignored this process thus far, granting pardons without input from DOJ or the Office of the Pardon Attorney. I think Barr's letter increases the likelihood that Trump issues pardons.
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