Associated Press
- Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Sunday that it was "very clear" that President Donald Trump obstructed justice.
- Nadler also said on ABC’s "This Week" that his committee would be requesting documents related to more than 60 people close to the White House, including Donald Trump Jr., as part of an investigation into "obstruction of justice, corruption, and abuse of power."
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy later waved off potential charges against Trump, saying "there’s nothing that the president did wrong," and impeachment would be a politically motivated move from Democrats.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Sunday it was "very clear" that President Donald Trump had obstructed justice in relation to special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.
Speaking on ABC’s "This Week," Nadler said Trump’s public hits against the investigation and apparent disdain for judicial officials and agencies were clear indicators of obstruction.
"1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a ‘witch hunt,’" Nadler said. "He tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to ‘stop the Russia thing,’ as he told NBC News. He’s dangled pardons, he’s intimidated witnesses in public."
Nadler also announced that his committee would be issuing requests for documents concerning dozens of people close to the White House and the Trump administration as part of a further look into obstruction, corruption, and abuse of power from the president.
"Tomorrow, we will be issuing document requests to over 60 different people and individuals from the White House to the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, Jr., Allen Weisselberg, to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption, and abuse of power," Nadler said.
Nadler has previously acknowledged the possibility of impeaching Trump, though has expressed a desire for caution before Congress pursues any action to avoid debates over politically motivated targets on Trump.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy later waved off Democrats’ concerns and the threat of impeachment, telling "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos "there’s nothing that the president did wrong."
"Show me where the president did anything to be impeached," McCarthy said, before casting the potential move as a political hit against Trump. "I think Congressman Nadler decided to impeach the president the day the president won the election."
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See Also:
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- GOP lawmaker accused of obstruction and witness intimidation after apparently threatening to publicly embarrass Michael Cohen one day before his congressional testimony
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Ellen Cranley)