The House to investigate claims that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress

[GMDino]

(01-23-2019, 06:33 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: I guess he didn't record it this time. Would've been all he needed.

(01-23-2019, 06:45 PM)fredtoast Wrote: He did not need to record anything.  Guliani admitted to everything they said.

Yeah, I mean its on twitter...and there's a record of all the things Trump said about him.


Rudy said that the only way a POTUS could be charged with obstruction is if he did something like threaten to investigate someone's wife.   Then said DJT suggesting they investigate Cohen's father wasn't the same at all.  

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1901/20/sotu.01.html

Quote:TAPPER: Are you saying it's not possible for the president to have obstructed justice, that that's an impossibility? 



GIULIANI: No, of course not. The president can obstruct justice. 


He can't obstruct exercising his powers under Article II of the Constitution, if that's what he is doing. And that's what he did. That's the point of Bill Barr's memo, which Bill Barr's memo -- the simplistic analysis of this is, again, designed just to go after Donald Trump. 

Here's the point that Bill Barr makes, which I think 75 percent of lawyers and 90 percent of constitutional lawyers would agree with. The president of the United States today fires one of his Cabinet members, he cannot be prosecuted for obstruction of justice. 

He would have to -- he would have to do a corrupt act, in addition to that. If he goes up to his Cabinet member and says, if you don't do this, I'm going to break your legs... 



TAPPER: Right. 



GIULIANI: ... or I'm going to take money away from you, or I'm going to have your wife put under investigation, now we have obstruction of justice. 


TAPPER: But let me ask you a question.

GIULIANI: All he did with Mueller is -- wait, wait. All he did with Mueller (sic) is fire him, with the support of Rod

Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who advised it, who was in charge of the investigation. 

TAPPER: Right. So...

GIULIANI: If that were a crime, how could he be in charge of the investigation? 

TAPPER: OK. So you say the obstruction of justice...

GIULIANI: It would be a complete, absolute, unbelievable conflict of interest. 

TAPPER: You -- OK.

GIULIANI: The analysis of this is so stupid and simplistic. And you have lawyers that come on this television show or this network and other networks and support it. They should hand in their law degree. 

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: OK. But let me ask you a question. 

You're talking about these threats that the president did not commit, and as to why that would be inappropriate, but the president has not done that. 

The president is repeatedly calling publicly, on Judge Jeanine's show, on Twitter, he is repeatedly calling for an investigation into Michael Cohen's father-in-law ahead of Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress.



By your own definition, isn't that obstruction...



GIULIANI: No, it's defending himself. 



TAPPER: ... or attempting to intimidate a witness?



GIULIANI: No. No.



Now, if you -- if you made that obstruction, I can't defend anybody. 

TAPPER: To say...

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: You're telling me...

TAPPER: ... this guy is testifying against me, his father-in-law should be...

(CROSSTALK) GIULIANI: No, wait, now. Wait, wait. Jake, Jake, we are so -- we are so distorting the system of justice just to get Donald Trump, it's going to hurt us so much. 

TAPPER: So, it's OK to go after the father-in-law? 

GIULIANI: Now -- now, of course it is, if the father-in-law is a criminal.