Why Trump Can be Criminally Charged for Obstruction of Justice – Political Studies (original) (raw)
The Mueller Report serves as the official document summarizing the facts gathered by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in connection with his investigations on allegations of Russian interference during the 2016 presidential elections. In fact, the report, was originally titled as : “Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,” which came to a conclusion that the allegations were true and had clearly violated U.S. criminal law.
Brief Summary of Mueller Report Volume 1
In Volume 1, Special Counsel Mueller presented details on how Russia interfered in order to influence voter decisions in the 2016 Presidential Election. Interference was carried out by way of two methods:
Launch of social media activities that assailed the campaign of Trump’s presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, which in the process, also escalated social and political discord.
Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU made possible the strategic release of damaging information (emails) intended to destroy Clinton’s campaign as presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. FBI agents working as part of the Mueller investigation team reported that Russia’s GRU participated by conducting computer hacking activities.
As a result, the FBI filed charges against six (6) former Trump political advisers, 26 Russian nationals, a California-based individual, and a London-based lawyer, all accused of taking part in Russian actions that influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Five of the six (6) Trump political advisers and campaigners pleaded guilty and were incarcerated based on individual plea bargain agreement. They were culpable of other crimes, whilst pleading guilty to making false statements tantamount to obstruction of justice. The California man and the London-based lawyer likewise pleaded guilty to the charges filed against them by the FBI.
Brief Summary of Mueller Report Volume II
Volume II of the Mueller Report cited 10 instances in which Donald Trump as president of the United States privately attempted to control Mueller’s probe of the Russian interference. Attempts that mostly failed because those who received orders to do so, refused to carry out Trump’s instructions; including that of ordering the removal of Special Counsel Mueller as head of the investigating team.
Inasmuch as the cited instances did not fully substantiate allegations that he was in collusion with the Russians in their U.S. election interference, the report avoided making conclusions that Trump violated a criminal law as far as the interference was concerned. Still, FBI investigators were not convinced that he had no knowledge of the facts as his multiple actions, reactions and intent in trying to control the ongoing investigation indicated otherwise.
Special Counsel Mueller had instead concluded that it was up to Congress to make further investigations in order to determine Trump’s participation by attempting to obstruct justice. After all, the U.S. Congress has the authority to take action against the country’s president should it be established that Trump’s actions of trying to control of the investigation was meant to obstruct judicial proceedings.