New book makes bombshell claim about Robert Mueller’s indictment against Donald Trump
Siege: Trump Under Fire, the long-awaited sequel to Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, is due to hit shelves a week from today. But a bombshell revelation in the book about Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election just dropped this morning. According to exclusive reporting by The Guardian, Wolff claims that Mueller actually prepared a three-count obstruction of justice indictment against Donald Trump but decided not to use it.
Wolff claims his information is “based on internal documents given to me by sources close to the Office of the Special Counsel”. But Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, told The Guardian, “The documents you’ve described do not exist.” Although The Guardian describes this by saying that Carr “flatly denied” the claim, it is odd that Carr did not say, “Robert Mueller never prepared an obstruction of justice indictment against Donald Trump.” He also claimed only that the documents “do not” exist, which is not quite the same thing as saying the documents never existed.
The Guardian, which has not only reviewed Siege but also the underlying documents in question, called this indictment “the most significant aspect of Wolff’s new book.” Apparently, the first count charged Trump with “corruptly – or by threats of force or threatening communication – influencing, obstructing or impeding a pending proceeding before a department or agency of the United States” (under Title 18, Section 1505 of the United States Code). The second count “charged the president with tampering with a witness, victim or informant” (under Section 1512). The third count “charged the president with retaliating against a witness, victim or informant” (under section 1513).
In addition to the indictment, Wolff claims that Mueller also drafted a memorandum of law to oppose an expected motion to dismiss. That memorandum reportedly argues that the law does not say the President of the United States cannot be indicted. On the contrary, it says that a President has the same status as other federal officials, who may be indicted, convicted and impeached. Wolff also reveals Mueller’s concerns about getting fired and exceeding his authority, such as when debating whether to insist on an in-person interview with Trump or prosecute him.
Wolff concludes that in the end, Mueller revealed himself to be a “cautious and indecisive bureaucrat.” He adds that “Bob Mueller threw up his hands. Surprisingly, he found himself in agreement with the greater White House: Donald Trump was the president, and, for better or for worse, what you saw was what you got – and what the country voted for.” If all this explosive new reporting is true, then Trump’s claims that the Mueller probe was a “total waste of time” may actually, and quite tragically, be accurate.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month