It has long been discussed how Trump could end the ongoing Mueller investigation into whether the
president’s campaign colluded with Russian efforts to intervene in the 2016 election. It is highly
unlikely that Trump will be indicted by Mueller, since the Department of Justice has long held that
sitting presidents are immune to criminal indictment. However, as the Mueller investigation develops,
it becomes increasingly plausible that one of Trump’s actions will be deemed an impeachable offense.
Only congress has the power to prosecute Trump, and with the recent sentence of Michael Cohen to
three years in jail for election crimes, new avenues have opened for further actions against Trump.
Considering the possible implications of the Mueller investigation on Trump’s presidency: what are his
options? Trump could order Matthew G. Whitaker, the acting attorney general, to fire Robert Mueller,
or replace him with someone who would. Furthermore, Trump could order the attorney general to
re-frame the mandate of the investigation, limit its budget, and even bury the report once it lands.
However, doing so would no doubt result in a tremendous increase in disapproval rates and almost
certainly start the impeachment process. Moreover, it would require more than that to halt the
investigation.
“You’d almost have to fire everyone in the FBI and the Justice Department to derail the relevant
investigations,” said former FBI director, James B. Comey. So, it seems unlikely that Trump will
intervene. Not only would it likely destroy any hope for a reelection, it could mean that he wouldn’t
even make it to the end of his first term. In the end, guilty or not, Trump is forced to watch this
investigation play out.
- If an attempt to impeach Trump by House Democrats failed, which party would stand to lose more?
- What is your opinion on the president’s criminal immunity? (Should the president be burdened by criminalinvestigations while leading the nation, or is the current impeachment system fine and the president should remain above the law?)
- What effect has the Mueller investigation had on the electorate? How might this change, and how significant will the change be, if Trump actively works against the investigation?
1) I think the Democrats would lose because they would have lost their ability to impeach Donald Trump. This is because the Republicans would win as their president is also Republican. Therefore, the Republicans would win while the Democrats would win. The Democrats would have lost their chance to formally accuse Trump of a crime.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the president's criminal immunity is upsetting because it means that he will be able to get away with violating the law. It shows how corrupt the US government can be because of how he cannot be charged with a crime. In fact, he even can be pardoned by Mike Pence if he is removed from office like Watergate.
3) The Mueller investigation has shown some concern to Democrats and even some Republicans around the electorate. This is because it is revealing how corrupt the US politics can be which is because of how many investigations Trump is under. If he works against the investigation, it will seem like he is trying to hide something about the investigation which is also just as bad.
1) If it failed the Democrats have much more to loose because they are the ones who will now be attacked for trying to undermine the country and the executive branch for their own political gains. This would be seen as a low blow to the Republicans and would erode the people's faith in them.
ReplyDelete2) They should not be burdened by the threat of crimes because they are already stressed out enough and do not need anything else to worry about in their own problems. If they are worrying about their problems too much they will end up doing a bad job as a president thus they should have some immunity.
3) It does not seem to have done a lot to change the electorate, but rather it appears that it has caused them to become more polarized. The liberals think not enough is being done and that Trump is hindering the investigation while conservatives think that liberals have created a witch hunt to attack a man who is trying to save the country of invaders.
1. If the attempt to impeach Trump failed than I believe that the Democrats have more to lose. This is because they would be the ones that initiated the attack on the president but the Republicans would win as Trump doesn't end up impeached.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the President should not be burdened by criminal investigations as this will pull him away from his job. There already is enough for the President to do and by making him go through these investigations it leaves other tasks unfinished.
3. The Mueller investigation has only managed to raise concerns for the Democrats about the electorate. These concerns cause the parties to drift farther apart as they no longer trust each other. Especially if Trump works against the investigations than gap will continue to grow.