Senate Judiciary Committee targets Donald Trump for obstruction of justice
One day after former FBI Director James Comey laid out the details of several instances in which Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice, the Senate is now taking the early steps in targeting Trump for that crime. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley stated today that he was willing to pursue the matter if his counterpart Dianne Feinstein wanted him to – and she then proceeded to immediately take him up on the matter.
CNN reporter Manu Raju spoke with Grassley outside his office on Friday, and got him to confirm that he’s in if Feinstein is in. The clip was so notable that it ended up being played not only on CNN, but also during Rachel Maddow’s show on MSNBC. Later in the day, Feinstein sent Grassley a formal letter (link) which stated that “It is my strong recommendation that the Judiciary Committee investigate all issues that raise a question of obstruction of justice.”
Grassley is a Republican who’s shown no real interest in protecting Donald Trump in the Russia investigation. On the contrary, at one point Grassley held up all of Trump’s appointments in order to force evidence to be turned over. He also tends to choose his words carefully. So when he told a reporter that he was on board with targeting Trump’s obstruction if Feinstein was, he was purposely signaling to her that she should go ahead and start the process.
So now we see where this goes. Impeachment hearings must start in the House of Representatives. But the Senate Judiciary Committee can go a long way to building the obstruction of justice case against Donald Trump, helping to convict him in the court of public opinion, and pressuring the House to do the same. This also comes even as Special Counsel Robert Mueller also appears to be targeting Trump for obstruction. Follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter. If you’re a regular reader, feel free to support Palmer Report
