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![]() “A president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office,” he said. Mueller plainly indicated there was a case to answer, but said he was unable to bring indictments. They included his firing of the FBI director, James Comey, and an attempt to sack Mueller himself. Why, meanwhile, has Trump not already been arraigned on charges of obstruction of justice and abuse of power? Exactly two years ago, special counsel Robert Mueller cited 10 instances of the then president allegedly obstructing investigations into collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia. While claiming it’s all a “witch-hunt”, Trump may be happy for these limited inquiries to drag on indefinitely. Nor do they appear to be examining potentially more politically illuminating allegations such as Trump’s dealings with Vladimir Putin and Russia’s oligarchs, money-laundering via the New York property market, and the past role of disgraced Deutsche Bank. Yet these long-running investigations lack tangible results. ![]() Alleged false accounting and tax irregularities appear to be the main focus. This inquiry is running in tandem with another criminal investigation into the Trump Organisation by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance. Letitia James, New York’s attorney-general, last week confirmed a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Trump’s business empire. But updates about this key aspect of the affair are unaccountably lacking. “ Maybe the president is culpable,” he mused. In March, DC attorney Michael Sherwin said federal investigations involving Trump are still under way. He has not even been questioned over his indisputably pivotal role.įor sure, Trump was impeached – but he declined to appear before Congress, and Republican toadies made a mockery of the process, voting to acquit him of inciting insurrection. Yet Trump, who urged supporters at a Washington rally that day to “fight like hell” to stop Congress certifying his election loss, is not among them. Some could be tried for plotting to overthrow the US government – a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison – or even for murder, given that five people died. ![]() District of Columbia investigators say they have charged 410 people over the Capitol breach. Let’s take these allegations one at a time. It includes alleged abuses of power, obstruction of justice, fraud, tax evasion, Russian money-laundering, election tampering, conflicts of interest, hush-money bribes, assassination – and a lot of lies. Trump’s actual and potential criminal rap sheet long predates the Capitol siege. The fact he is not, and has not been charged with anything, is a genuine puzzle – some might say a scandal, even a conspiracy. The question that should most concern Americans who care about democracy is: why isn’t Trump in jail? Yet as Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell moves to kill off a 9/11-style national commission to investigate the 6 January Capitol Hill insurrection, the pressing question is not whether Trump can maintain cult-like sway over Republicans, or even whether he will run again in 2024.
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