DandyDonovan
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- Nov 29, 2018
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- #121
Are you suggesting that a president could be indicted while in office? That seems to be the direction of your logic, in asserting Clinton might not have had to testify to a grand jury on Starr's subpoenaI'm not sure about the Slick analogy. I think we'd both agree that the legal process and constitution were misused in impeaching a man for lying about extramarital sex.Trumpers are saying no, based on a Nixon era policy...
But you might remember that Clinton was forced to testify in a CIVIL SUIT regarding an event that occurred years before he was elected.
That sets the bar considerably LOWER than what we are discussing here
But, unless Justice Kavenaugh would secure a majority to change things, it seems clear to me that a President must comply with legal process to turn over documents or answer questions in legal matters. But the courts should not allow any questioning that interferes with executive privilege.
The question is whether a potus can be indicted. Federal judges can be indicted while in office, and even tried while in office.
And indictments and trials are different animals. Non-federal prosecutors and AG's have pretty much unfettered discretion to indict. A county DA for example doesn't need anyone's approval. A governor can't keep a state AG from indicting. However, I think US attorneys have to have approval from higher up in the DOJ to indict.
A trial is more difficult. A potus could ask a court to toss or delay trial on any indictment.
Logic would dictate that a President who couldn't be indicted would not have to take part in a criminal proceeding at all. I mean why for example would Bill Clinton have had to testify in regards to a criminal matter in which he couldn't possibly have been indicted? What's the point in that.
What? Can you people not read? I CLEARLY stated that he ONLY thing that could have happened had Clinton ignored that subpoena, even if SCOTUS had ruled that he MUST obey the subpoena would be that Congress could have impeached him. No, he could NOT have been indicted.
Seriously, the President of the United States could walk into Congress with an M4 and mow down every member of Congress live on Cspan and he couldn't be indicted. And I suppose he couldn't be impeached at that point either because there would be no members of the House, but at that point one would think the 25th Amendment would be used to remove him from office LOL