Comey: Mueller signaled prosecutors should look at charging Trump when he's out of office
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report signals that a prosecutor should look at charging President Trump when he leaves office, says former FBI Director James Comey.
Comey spoke to CBS This Morning on Wednesday and argued that Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report's principal conclusions, which was released weeks ahead of the redacted Mueller report, was "misleading" and "inadequate."
This, Comey said, is because Barr's summary "gave the impression" that Mueller decided not to rule on whether Trump obstructed justice. "That's not what Mueller did," Comey said. "Mueller laid it out and signaled to a future prosecutor, 'After this individual is out of office, you ought to take a serious look at charging him.'"
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Mueller's report includes 10 instances of possible obstruction of justice by Trump, including the president's firing of Comey as FBI director in 2017. By not deciding that Trump criminally obstructed justice, Comey said that Mueller must have determined it wouldn't be "fair" to accuse Trump of a crime since he can't indict him while he's president.
At the same time, Comey concluded that the evidence of obstruction Mueller outlined for future prosecutors and Congress is "deeply concerning." Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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