Agree and that what he has been instructed to do, prepare a report that will be submitted to Congress. However Mueller will prepare his report in the same form as an indictment indicating what crimes he says have been committed and the basis for an impeachment. Also like Nixon faced he can be indicted after leaving office. That’s why Ford pardoned him.
Impeachment is a political instrument and a power Congress has over the other two branches of government. The constitution doesn’t define what ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ are but gives the House of Representatives the power to decide what is an impeachable offense. The two previous impeachment’s and one forced resignation of a sitting president have used some legal basis. Andrew Johnson was impeached for ignoring a law. Of course that law was likely unconstitutional as it invaded the rights and powers of the president. It was purely a political effort by the radical republicans who wanted to impose a harsher regime on the south. He missed being convicted by 1 vote. Nixon would have been impeached for breaking a number of laws had he not resigned. He likely would have been convicted overwhelmingly. Of course Clinton was impeached for perjury in a civil case. It was also purely political. While he didn’t come close to conviction he did set a precedent in that he was forced to testify under oath and respond to a supeana. This leaves Trump to risk. He is exposed to being called before a grand jury and testifying under oath.
Can a sitting president be indicted? That’s an open question and has not been tested. There are serious arguments on both sides. It would probably have to be decided by the Supreme Court. Regardless if it got to that point any president would be in as much political jeopardy as legal. As long as Trump has a Republican majority in the House he is not likely to be impeached. That brings a risk of indictment. I don’t know the mechanism and if Mueller can bring a indictment without the DOJ agreeing.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that this mess is being discussed, here, in 187 pages, in all shapes and sizes of the media, you cannot escape it. Every day brings a new flood of Russia related headlines. Think of the energy that this dalliance has cost us all.
What all this has done is expose where the real corruption is and how corrupt the FBI and the MSM really is. The MSM is not news anymore they are an arm of the democrats. The Pretorian Gaurd of the left if you will.
Only two ways a sitting president can be removed...election and impeachment. An indictment of a sitting president is useless until he leaves office. At that point no one will give a shit about trump and it would die on the vine.
