It’s starting to look like the resistance to Donald Trump will have a real reason to celebrate in the weeks ahead, according to a legal expert who says Special Counsel Robert Mueller is preparing to file criminal charges against Trump in the very near future.
Norm Eisen, who served as Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the Obama administration, weighed in on the president’s recent comments that it was “unlikely” he would agree to an interview with the Mueller team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Eisen recently commented:
“Given the state of the obstruction evidence, if POTUS refuses an interview, Mueller WILL file charges (either criminally or more likely with Congress).”
If indeed Trump does refuse to meet with Mueller, it seems likely that Mueller will then have all the evidence he needs to file charges against Trump in both federal court and Congress, though the likelihood that a GOP-controlled Congress would be eager to pursue impeachment seems minimal. However, the criminal charges could force the hand of Republicans when public outcry begins and gets louder with each day.
Some will say that criminal charges cannot be filed against a sitting president, but many legal experts consider that to be a canard and say such a matter would have to go before the Supreme Court for a ruling. Just the fact that an indictment or indictments might be unsealed in court against Trump would be incredibly damaging to the White House. For months, they and their allies in Congress have been screaming about a “witch hunt.” Once there’s an indictment, the pushback to the Mueller probe becomes more troublesome for Trump and his GOP protectors.
The interview between Mueller and Trump is currently being negotiated by Trump’s attorneys and members of the special counsel’s office. But if indeed the Trump team decides to punt on the meeting, it seems likely that Mueller will either subpoena Trump to appear before a grand jury or indict him outright. Either way, Trump will then be exposed as the criminal he is.