The Mueller Report thread

[Belsnickel]

(05-02-2019, 03:24 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: I believe Congress has the power to censure and impeach public officials (that might include SCOTUS members, not sure). Those action are different from filing criminal charges. For example, if Nixon would have been impeached, he would have just lost his position due to the impeachment and not been thrown in jail (although it is possible that DoJ could have pursued criminal charges once he was out of office).

you are correct, here, including regarding SCOTUS.

(05-02-2019, 03:24 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Which brings up an interesting topic: DoJ going after Presidents once they are out of office. It hasn't happened yet, mainly because sitting POTUSes are more concerned with other things and worry that someone will go after them once they are out of office. So, this talk of "investigating Obama" is all hot air, IMO. After all, what do you think would happen to Trump and his cronies when the next Democrat is in the White House?

The DoJ hasn't gone after a former president, yet, because Ford pardoned Nixon, which stopped what would have been the first time it really happened. Of course, that would have been the same administration, pretty much, so it's a bit of a different ball game. The real reason we haven't seen the DoJ go after a former president is because of norms. Unless there was such an airtight case and the criminality was so egregious, any attempts by the DoJ to go after a former president would be seen as a politicization of the department in an extreme manner.

We've seen politicization of the DoJ from this administration, but it hasn't reached despotic levels, IMO. That would be one of the things that would put it there.