Judge Napolitano: Comey Laid Out Case For Obstruction Of Justice
Judge Napolitano carefully and despondently said what most Fox News Trump supporters refused to say.
Fox News' Judge Napolitano and friend of the president sounded downright despondent while describing the effects James Comey's testimony had on Trump.
Shep Smith brought on the Judge to discuss Comey's testimony Thursday afternoon and Napolitano was very candid about his views on the matter.
The Judge laid out the case that Trump could be -- to use the British version of obstruction - "perverting the course of justice."
Judge Nap said, "If the president's motivation was I don't want you to go after Flynn because he has stuff on my friends and they have stuff on me, that would be a corrupt motivation and a corrupt motivation turns that to obstruction of justice."
Napolitano said the Supreme Court has never ruled as to whether obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense, but added, "In the Nixon impeachment, which did not mature to impeachment, which we all know he resigned before, in the Clinton impeachment by today's standard seems frivolous, but was an impeachment, both of those were based on obstruction of justice."
He continued, "There is a general consensus in the legal community that a demonstrable case of obstruction of justice, interfering with a federal criminal investigation for a corrupt purpose would constitute an impeachable offense."
Smith asked him if that was the most damning moment of the day and the Judge said, no, it was the quid pro quo.
Judge Nap said, "The most damning thing was when James Comey suggested a quid pro quo. He suggested the president basically gave him the impression, here's the quid pro quo, Jim - you want to keep your job as director of FBI, lay off Flynn."
"That to me was new and was extremely damning and quite frankly was not addressed by Mark Kasowitz, the president's lawyer," Napolitano said.
Shep said, "He's like, 'You do this, you can keep your job. You're not going to play with me. You're out. Sure enough, he got fired."
The Judge replied, "Yes!.That's the kicker. You follow all of this stuff with the firing, put it in a bow and let Bob Mueller decide how serious is this."
Today, Trump's minions are attacking Comey for leaking to the press, but Judge Napolitano shot that defense down as well.
Napolitano said, "No, that is not a leak because it's not classified material.
Smith, "He's not a government official."
Nap, "Comey is not a government employee. The professor is not a government employee."
Smith said everything could be considered leaks now.
"We thrive on leaks in this business, but a leak must be something that the leaker did not have the authority to give out, which is typically classified material, state secrets," Napolitano said.
The Judge also dropped a bomb by hinting that Trump might shake things up, "You may see that clean sweep in the west wing that's been rumored for a long time from and after today."
What we just witnessed is the Judge laying out the case that Mueller could cross-examine Trump with the information Comey testified to and it could easily rise to the level of obstruction.
Bad for Trump, good for the rest of us.