Colorado's Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck triggered a firestorm Wednesday when his grilling of former special counsel Robert Mueller raised the possibility that President Donald Trump could face obstruction of justice charges when he leaves office.
Pundits have speculated that Buck didn't expect Mueller's response, unintentionally driving a narrative that House Democrats could use to push for Trump's impeachment.
Buck said he had no regrets about his exchange with Mueller, saying that he isn't "taking any heat" for it.
The former prosecutor and three-term congressman from Greeley insisted that Mueller's response only hypothetically established a time frame for a
And Buck, who has largely flown under the radar during his years in Washington, found himself trending on Twitter.Buck said he had no regrets about his exchange with Mueller, saying that he isn't "taking any heat" for it.
The former prosecutor and three-term congressman from Greeley insisted that Mueller's response only hypothetically established a time frame for a president's immunity — during his term in office — and president's immunity — during his term in office — and that Mueller did not "opine on whether the president committed a crime or not and would not opine on that."Yes," Mueller replied.
"Ethically, under the ethical standards?" Buck pressed further.
"Well, I'm not certain because I haven't looked at the ethical standards, but the ... opinion says that the prosecutor, while he cannot bring a change against the sitting president, nonetheless he can continue the investigation to see if there are any other persons who might be drawn into the conspiracy."
Buck appeared to nod slightly as he was told his time had expired.
Here's what followers of the hearing seized upon:
"Could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?" Buck asked Mueller at the House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday morning.
"Yes," Mueller replied.
t2
"You believe ... that you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he Mueller opened a Wednesday afternoon House Intelligence Committee hearing by clarifying his testimony from the morning's hearing, during which Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., asked Mueller, "The reason again that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of the ... opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?"
Mueller answered: "That is correct."
But later, Mueller said: "We did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime."
Buck said the later response changes everything about his exchange with the special prosecutor.He is not opining on whether the president committed a crime, and I think that's unfair," Buck said. "I think that's his job."
In video tweeted by Vox.com journalist Aaron Rupar on Wednesday afternoon, Trump appeared to respond to the exchange between Buck and Mueller and the subsequent clarification, stating, in part, that Mueller "totally corrected himself in the afternoon."
Buck countered critics who claim he asked a question without knowing the answer, a rookie mistake in legal circles. Buck said congressmen and lawyers have different jobs.
"The reason I ask questions is to get answers," he said. "[It's] different than a trial. We don't have discovery in this situation. I didn't talk to the witness beforehand."
