Giuliani says Trump could have shot Comey and still wouldn't have been prosecuted

While campaigning, President Trump famously said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and not lose any of his supporters, and his words were echoed Sunday by Rudy Giuliani, who told HuffPost if Trump had shot former FBI Director James Comey in order to end the Russia investigation, he wouldn't have been prosecuted.

"In no case can he be subpoenaed or indicted," Giuliani said. "I don't know how you can indict while he's in office. No matter what it is." Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney who joined Trump's legal team in April, said if a president does something illegal, impeachment is the first step. "If he shot James Comey, he'd be impeached the next day," he said. "Impeach him, and then you can do whatever you want to do to him."

Reality does not support Giuliani's claim, Norm Eisen, who served as White House ethics lawyer under former President Barack Obama, told HuffPost. "A president could not be prosecuted for murder? Really?" he said. "It is one of many absurd positions that follow from their argument. It is self-evidently wrong. The foundation of America is that no person is above the law. A president can under extreme circumstances be indicted, but we're facing extreme circumstances."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up