Rachel Maddow called Monday a “landmark day” for the Russia scandal, saying that Donald Trump and his legal team have essentially changed their argument from, “Trump didn’t obstruct justice” to “It’s okay if he did because he’s the president.”
In other words, the White House is no longer denying that Trump tried to derail this investigation. Instead, they’re moving the goal posts and simply saying that it’s okay that he did.
Video:
Rachel Maddow Busts White House Legal Team For Admitting Trump Obstructed Justice #Maddow pic.twitter.com/t97xFWfe2M
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— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) December 5, 2017
Maddow said:
But on obstruction of justice, today may end up going down as a landmark day in this scandal because today is the day that the president’s lawyers effectively stopped arguing against the allegation that the president obstructed justice and instead, they pivoted today and started making a public case that it’s okay if the president obstructed justice because he’s the president and he can do that. As president, he’s immune from any accountability for that particular crime.Â
As the MSNBC star noted, today may end up being a pivotal day in the ongoing saga of the Russia scandal, which continues to bury the White House in increasing legal trouble – the latest being the news that former national security adviser Michael Flynn lied to the FBI and plans to testify against Trump.
But as the developments become more explosive and damning, the administration’s defense keeps shifting. First, they repeatedly claimed that there was no collusion or obstruction of justice. Now that it increasingly looks like both of those happened, they are claiming that neither are crimes if they’re committed by the president.
It’s not a good place for the White House to be when their only remaining argument in defense of Donald Trump is that he is above the law.
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 Obama’s 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.
