Preet Bharara on Barr’s Obstruction Decision: It Was Made for ‘An Audience of One’
EXCERPT:
BHARARA: "Yeah I think they should have left it alone. The way you asked the question is it — you know, was it illegal for them to do so, no, of course not. It sounds more like there was a political need and an audience need, an audience of one need to do that because there may have been held okay if the question was [inaudible] as Mueller did appear to leave it open on obstruction for weeks and weeks. So he got in there, grabbed the ball and ran with it. But I also think that his his view is of no consequence, really, because one Mueller decided he couldn't make an ultimate declaration of the commission of a crime of obstruction, then that meant the President was not going to be prosecuted for obstruction. And there's no worry that some other person in the Justice Department was going to say, hey, you know I don't think we agree with you, we think we can charge the President with obstruction. On that issue, not about whether or not those other accountabilities he had to Congress or otherwise. But on the issue of a charge, that was over.”
