Dems eye repeal of Justice rule barring presidential indictments

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill

House Democrats are weighing legislation to scrap the executive guideline that bars the Justice Department from indicting a sitting president.

The informal rule is decades old but has come under heavy new scrutiny since Robert Mueller cited it explicitly as the reason he declined to recommend — or even consider — bringing obstruction charges against President Trump during the course of his 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

In response to the special counsel’s report, Democrats are piecing together a package of legislation focused largely on shielding elections from foreign influence, including proposals to bar candidates from accepting foreign help of any kind, while making it mandatory that campaigns alert the FBI when such offers are extended.

But some lawmakers want to press further, eying legislation to nullify the Department of Justice's (DOJ) long-standing determination that presidents cannot be charged with federal crimes while they remain in office.

“It's definitely on the menu,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. “I'm in favor of expanding enforcement tools and accountability tools, and that's definitely one of them.”

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What about Congressional tools?