Nadler: Trump Has No Right To Executive Privilege Over ‘Evidence Of Wrongdoing’

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) asserted Sunday that the President has no legal right to claim executive privilege over evidence of wrongdoing in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash Sunday if he would go the Supreme Court, if necessary, to get Mueller’s report released publicly, Nadler said “absolutely.” He earlier said he would subpoena the report if necessary.

Mueller concluded his investigation Friday and turned in a final report to Attorney General William Barr. Congress and the American public are currently waiting to see the report — or, however much of it Barr deems suitable for public and congressional eyes.

Regarding the Trump White House’s insistence that the President review the report for potential assertions of executive privilege, Nadler recalled a precedent set during Watergate.

“He has no right to claim executive privilege on any evidence of wrongdoing,” Nadler said. “Executive privilege cannot shield evidence of wrongdoing.”

“That was made very clear by the 9-nothing decision of the Supreme Court in the Nixon case where they ordered the tapes revealed, even though those tapes were personal conversations with the president and some of his advisers.”

(In fact, the decision was made with an unanimous 8-nothing vote; Justice William Rehnquist recused himself.)

Nadler said later of Mueller’s efforts: “Like any other product of human hands, we have to look at the underlying evidence and make our own judgement as to their judgments.”

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. “Executive privilege cannot shield evidence of wrongdoing.
    “That was made very clear by the 9-nothing decision of the Supreme
    Court in the Nixon case where they ordered the tapes revealed, even
    though those tapes were personal conversations with the president and
    some of his advisers.”

    That’s why Donnie meets with Putin, Lavrov, and Kislyak with no Americans present.

  2. “Executive privilege cannot shield evidence of wrongdoing.

    Also too, treason, batshittery and miscellaneous fuckery.

  3. Avatar for theod theod says:

    I guarantee that the NSA knows what was said in that conversation, but it is likely to not be revealed.

  4. Why does Dana Bash have a job on a national news network?

    On the network that has been permanently henpecked into bending over backwards to give the looney fringe right of the GOP “equal time” and helped elect Donald Trump?

    And has given the callow son of Mario The Great Nothing Cuomo a national anchor without him earning it?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

137 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for playitagainrowlf Avatar for fgs Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for eggrollian Avatar for clemmers Avatar for adabsurdum Avatar for cervantes Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for lastroth Avatar for nemo Avatar for bboerner Avatar for tena Avatar for rocklaverve Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for kelaine Avatar for pike_bishop Avatar for zillacop Avatar for outis Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for emiliano4

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: