Obstructions of Justice that Trump Didn’t Commit

As far as I can tell as a layman who has looked at some of the statutes relating to obstruction of justice, the following are obstructions of justice; and Trump didn’t engage in any of them. Each of these items draws language from the federal statutes or from the Congressional Research Service’s summary of these statutes.

Trump did not frustrate the government’s investigation of Russian collusion with his colleagues. He did not do this at all. He didn’t do it by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence or deceit.

Trump didn’t tamper with federal witnesses. He didn’t use force or the threat of force to prevent the production of evidence. Neither did he use deception, corruption or intimidation to prevent the production of evidence. Trump didn’t destroy or conceal evidence or attempt to do so. Trump didn’t harass witnesses to prevent evidence from surfacing.

Trump didn’t retaliate against federal witnesses. He didn’t kill any witnesses or informants. He didn’t attempt to kill any witnesses. He inflicted no bodily injury on them and didn’t threaten such injury. He didn’t damage or threaten the property of such witnesses.

Trump didn’t obstruct federal court proceedings.

Trump didn’t obstruct pending Congressional or federal administrative proceedings. He did not willfully withhold, misrepresent, remove from any place, conceal, cover up, destroy, mutilate, alter, or by any means falsify any document, any answer to written questioning, any oral testimony. He didn’t attempt to do so, and he didn’t solicit anyone else to do so. Trump didn’t send any letters or make any communications with threats in order to influence, obstruct or impede the due or proper administration of law under which a department, agency had a pending proceeding. Neither did he threaten force or use corruption to obstruct or impede any inquiry in either house of Congress.

Trump didn’t engage in conspiracy or contempt. He didn’t conspire to defraud the government nor did he engage in any overt act to do so. Trump didn’t misbehave in a court proceeding, directly or indirectly. Trump did not show contempt of Congress by failing to obey a Congressional subpoena or by a refusal to answer questions at a Congressional hearing.

Trump didn’t use violence or threats of violence to obstruct federal government activities. He didn’t use violence or threats thereof against judges, jurors, officials, former officials or their families in order to impede them in the performance of their duties. He made no use of assaults, kidnapping, and murder to further an obstruction.

Trump didn’t offer or solicit bribes in connection with any government proceedings. Trump has not engaged in extortion by receiving payments to which he is not entitled, knowing it is being provided in exchange for an official act that is a quid pro quo.

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2:21 pm on June 16, 2017