Ethics Guru Says Trump Would Be ‘Worse Than Watergate’ To Kill Russia Probe
Norm Eisen, former ethics czar for the Obama administration, has a stern warning for President Trump: Don’t even think of firing Robert Mueller or preemptively pardoning those involved in Russian election interference.
Eisen, who is currently with the Brookings Institution, warned against taking steps that would put the president and the White House in a constitutional conflict.
“Mr. Pres, you really pissed me off w self pardon talk. no such thing!” Eisen tweeted Friday morning. The expert on government ethics argued that the president cannot pardon himself and furthermore, even if he does go ahead and pardon those involved in the case, they can still be required to testify against him.
Eisen also took issue with reports that Trump’s team is now trying to direct scrutiny against Mueller’s investigative team in order to prove they are in conflict of interests. “Investigating the investigators,” Eisen said in a tweet “can be obstruction of justice.”
According to Eisen, Trump’s reported attempts to derail the Russian investigation could lead to an unprecedented situation. “Trump pardoning others, much less himself, or firing Mueller, would set off a firestorm the likes of which would exceed Watergate,” he told Jewish Insider, “So Trump and his team had better beware.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!