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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmid swirling Trump scandals, Cummings backs rules change to allow indictment of a sitting presiden
This 'rule' needs to be challenged in court.
Amid swirling Trump scandals, Cummings backs rules change to allow indictment of a sitting president
https://thinkprogress.org/amid-swirling-trump-scandals-cummings-backs-rules-change-to-allow-indictment-of-a-sitting-president-384d0c9386ed/
Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings will wield a powerful gavel beginning next month as head of the House Oversight Committee
Stephanie Griffith
Dec 16, 2018, 4:50 pm
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the Democrat who takes over chairmanship of the House Oversight Committee next month, called Sunday for the overhaul of legal guidelines that currently protect presidents from criminal prosecution.
I think we should always reconsider laws and regulations, and this is one we definitely should reconsider, Cummings told CNNs State of the Union.
The Maryland Democrat raised the prospect of a rules change against the backdrop of a host of scandals swirling around the Trump administration.
Department of Justice (DOJ) guidelines currently state that a sitting president cannot be indicted, although some legal experts say that court precedent is not entirely settled on that matter.
As The Washington Post reported this weekend, nearly every organization touched by Donald Trump over the past decade both civil and governmental is currently under investigation. And as ThinkProgress has reported, the administration has been beset by an unending parade of scandals.
Alleged misdeeds include alleged corruption by the presidents private company, which is dogged by civil suits over its dodgy business practices and questionable ties to foreign companies.
Also in the crosshairs of investigators is Trumps inaugural committee, said to have been the recipient of large sums of still-unaccounted for foreign cash. And the presidents charitable foundation is being sued by the state of New York for alleged illegal conduct.
Perhaps most significantly, Trumps administration and many of his close associates are under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, to determine what role they may have played assisting Russia as it attempted to undermine the U.S. electoral process in 2016.
Cummings reprised comments he made to CNN last week, when he said Trumps alleged role directing his fixer Michael Cohen to make illegal payments to two women with whom the president allegedly had affairs several years ago would probably be an impeachable offense.
He doubled down on those remarks on Sunday. The evidence is certainly powerful enough. I think the president knows that, Cummings said.........................................
Amid swirling Trump scandals, Cummings backs rules change to allow indictment of a sitting president https://thinkprogress.org/amid-swirling-trump-scandals-cummings-backs-rules-change-to-allow-indictment-of-a-sitting-president-384d0c9386ed/
#TrumpCorruption #resist