Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump can't run the Mueller playbook on New York feds
For starters, they have jurisdiction over the presidents political operation and businesses subjects that executive privilege doesn't cover.
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN 02/18/2019 08:05 AM EST
Even as speculation mounts that special counsel Robert Mueller might be winding down his investigation, a parallel threat to President Donald Trump only seems to be growing within his own Justice Department: the Southern District of New York.
Manhattan-based federal prosecutors can challenge Trump in ways Mueller cant. They have jurisdiction over the presidents political operation and businesses subjects that arent protected by executive privilege, a tool Trump is considering invoking to block portions of Muellers report. From a PR perspective, Trump has been unable to run the same playbook on SDNY that hes used to erode conservatives faith in Mueller, the former George W. Bush-appointed FBI director. Legal circles are also buzzing over whether SDNY might buck DOJ guidance and seek to indict a sitting president.
The threat was highlighted when SDNY prosecutors ordered officials from Trumps inaugural committee to hand over donor and financial records. It was the latest aggressive move from an office that has launched investigations into the presidents company, former lawyer and campaign finance practices. New York prosecutors have even implicated Trump in a crime.
Add it all up and the result is a spate of hard-to-stymie, legally perilous probes that appears on track to drag on well into Trumps 2020 reelection campaign. SDNY stands poised to carry on Muellers efforts whenever the special counsels office closes shop, and its likely to draw even more attention if freshly confirmed Attorney General William Barr who now oversees the Russia probe as DOJ head clamps down on the public release of Muellers findings.
When you combine their experience with the traditional independence of the southern district and the reputation it has, this is like another Mueller investigation going on, said Nick Akerman, a former SDNY assistant attorney who also worked on the Watergate prosecution team.
Mueller can take credit for spawning significant parts of SDNYs work. The two DOJ units have shared staff, witnesses and leads, and SDNY has been well-positioned to pick up anything that is outside Muellers primary lane of investigating collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/18/trump-new-york-mueller-investigation-1173346
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 846 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (7)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump can't run the Mueller playbook on New York feds (Original Post)
DonViejo
Feb 2019
OP
empedocles
(15,751 posts)1. Hmmm. Seems that SDNY protection is at least somewhat, or more, dependent on
Barr 'keeping his word'
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,451 posts)2. Lock him up!