Mar 22, 2018
President Donald Trump tweeted choice words last weekend about
special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian
interference with the 2016 presidential election. Trump then added
another lawyer to his team — Joseph diGenova, a former U.S.
attorney for the District of Columbia, who has spoken aggressively
against the Russia investigation. Both moves concern many
lawmakers, who worry Trump may actually find a means to have
Mueller fired in an attempt to quash the examination. If Mueller is
fired, has he positioned the investigation so it can continue
without him? This and more is discussed in this episode of Politics
& Polls as Fordham Law Professor Jed Shugerman joins the show.
Note: This episode was recorded on March 14, 2018, before President
Trump posted tweets calling out Mueller for the first time. That
same day, an opinion piece by Shugerman and his colleague Ethan
Leib appeared in the Washington Post (link below), explaining how a
part of the Constitution could stop Trump from abusing his pardon
power or from firing Mueller. They also published a piece in Slate
(link below) arguing Sessions also may not fire Mueller. Jed
Shugerman teaches at Fordham Law. He has a bachelor’s degree, a
J.D., and a Ph.D. in American History from Yale University. He is
the author of “The People's Courts: Pursuing Judicial Independence
in America” (2012) on the evolution of judicial elections and
politics in America. He is currently working on anti-corruption
emoluments litigation against the Trump administration, and he is
writing about American prosecutors, and the “faithfully execute”
fiduciary limits on the executive branch. He writes about law and
politics at shugerblog.com. Washington Post: http://bit.ly/2GaWBvo
Slate: http://slate.me/2IGE74k