On 09/10/2019 21:02, jim bell wrote:
I try to avoid posting "political" issues, or at least initiating them, but Joe Biden just called for Trump to be impeached because Trump called on Ukraine and China to investigate him, Joe Biden. > I wonder why this doesn't qualify as "attempted obstruction of justice".
Not even if Biden is guilty of something (for which we have approximately zero evidence) and was trying to hide it.
Trump was not performing the lawful investigative act of a Government official - whether or not his motive was purely the administration of justice, his act is clearly and specifically illegal under US election law - therefore obstructing that unlawful act cannot be obstruction of justice.
In a few other jurisdictions it might be considered to be perverting the course of justice - but it is not obstruction of justice as defined under US law, which is obstructing the lawful judicial actions of prosecutors, investigators or other Government officials.
If you have been following the Brexit implosion, there is a law here which says that (under some circumstances) Boris must ask the EU for an extension, which Boris has said he will not do, and also that he will. He definitely doesn't want to.
It has been suggested that he might ask a EU country to refuse the extension as a way of getting round the law. However if he did, and it meant Brexit happened, anyone who was in any way disadvantaged by Brexit could then sue Boris, as his action as Prime Minister would not have been lawful.
What was it Nixon said? "Well, when the President does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Nope, thankfully it doesn't work like that. Peter Fairbrother
