Rachel Maddow obliterated Donald TrumpĀ on Thursday, saying that his actions as laid out by former FBI Director James Comey in today’s hearing amount to “textbook obstruction of justice,” which could put his entire presidency on the line.
MaddowĀ also explained that Trump is essentially alone in his argument that he never tried to halt the investigation into Michael Flynn’s ties to Russia.
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Rachel Maddow Says Trump’s Actions = ‘Textbook Obstruction of Justice’ #maddow pic.twitter.com/PzZQl8j4V1
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ā Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) June 9, 2017
Maddow said:
This is what it looks like it’s coming down to as of today. … The president trying to stop an ongoing FBI criminal investigation is a textbook obstruction of justice. The evidence for whether or not he did that, just on the terms of the Flynn investigation … that’s how it balances out as of today. On the one side, the presidentĀ denies it. On the other side, James Comey says, “Nah, he did it.” And his memo says, “Yeah, he did it.” And he says that he’s got witnesses that are the entire senior structure of the FBI that say, “Yeah, they will corroborateĀ that I said he did it the night that I say he did it.” Oh, and maybe also it happened on tape. That’s the balanceĀ of the evidence. The president’s denial versus all of that.
As the MSNBC star said, the Trump administration is in for a rude awakening if they think the American public and those investigating possible obstruction will believe the president ā who is a well-documented liar ā over James Comey, who is widely seen as a man of integrity, even if he has irked supporters of both political parties.
Ultimately, when it comes to the obstruction of justice case against this president, the scandal involving his ties to Russia is essentially irrelevant. As Maddow pointed out, it doesn’t matter what the investigation is about ā it only matters that the President of the United States tried to influence that investigation.
Based on Comey’s testimony, his memos, other key members of the FBI, and any potential tapes that may exist, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the president did just that ā and that could soon spell the end of his presidency.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obamaās presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.