During questioning Wednesday morning by members of the House Judiciary Committee, former special counsel Mueller said President Donald Trump could be charged with the crime of obstruction of justice after he leaves office.
“You believe that he committed, you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he leaves office?” Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, asked after Mueller said that Justice Department guidelines prevented him from indicting President Trump of any crime while he was in office.
“Yes,” Mueller replied.
Earlier in their exchange, Buck had asked, “Was there sufficient evidence to convict President Trump or anyone else with obstruction of justice?”
“We did not make that calculation,” Mueller said. When asked how he could not make that determination, he again stated that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel opinion indicated that the Justice Department could not indict a sitting president.
“The OLC opinion says that the prosecutor cannot bring a charge against a sitting president,” Mueller said, “nonetheless he can continue the investigation to see if there are any other persons who might be drawn into the conspiracy.”
Reacting to Mueller’s statement, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff tweeted, “That’s pretty clear cut.”
The testimony aired live Wednesday morning across the major news channels and their corresponding streaming platforms. Some viewers joined Rep. Schiff in reacting, tweeting photos of their television screens or quotes from the questioning.