Protect Democracy Article Examines Potential Interference To Watch Out For In Russia Investigation

An Article From Protect Democracy Examines Potential Interference To Watch Out For In Special Counsel’s Russia Investigation

An article by Legal Director Justin Florence and Counsel Larry Schwartzol of Protect Democracy and posted on Lawfare, examines potential acts of interference into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation that “would warrant an aggressive congressional response.”

“Congress and the press should be on the lookout for other efforts the president and his political allies might take to impede the investigation, short of attempting to fire Mueller,” according to the article.

The article, “Trump’s Potential Interference with Mueller’s Investigation: What To Watch For,” details eight actions “that Congress should treat as active measures by the Trump Administration to undermine an effective and thorough investigation into the Russia matter.” They include:

Placing constraints on the scope of Mueller’s jurisdiction;

Limiting resources available to Mueller;

Altering the special counsel regulations to limit Mueller’s independence;

Aggressively interpreting provisions of the special counsel regulation to undercut Mueller’s independence;

Relying on the Office of Legal Counsel’s no-indictment opinion to limit the investigation;

Invoking executive privilege to prevent Mueller from getting testimony or documents;

Granting pardons to limit the investigation; and

Prohibiting release of a final report to Congress and the public.

Details on each of these potential actions are included in the Protect Democracy article which can be found here.

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Released: June 27, 2017