Ex-Watergate prosecutor: Trump tweets aid Mueller in establishing obstruction case

Former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said special counsel Robert Mueller has strong evidence against President Trump for an obstruction of justice case.

Wine-Banks appeared on MSNBC on Thursday shortly after The New York Times reported that Mueller is reviewing Trump’s tweets to see if the president potentially obstructed justice with his negative statements about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former FBI Director James Comey. 

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MSNBC host Craig Melvin asked Wine-Banks how Trump’s social media feed could help bolster Mueller’s case.

“First of all, it establishes a pattern of behavior and it shows what his intent really is, so it will be very helpful to see that as part of the evidence against the president,” Wine-Banks said.

Wine-Banks said that Trump uses his Twitter feed to direct conversations at certain individuals “and that is the same as if he approached someone in private.”

“He’s sending a message to all these people, ‘do what I want you to do or else,’ ” Wine-Banks continued. “He could say that in a one-on-one meeting or he could say it through his Twitter account, both of which amount to obstruction of justice and he should be held liable.”

Wine-Banks added that as an official of the U.S. government, Trump can’t use his Twitter account to punish Americans.

“I think the case for obstruction has been clear for over a year. It’s very, very clear now and I think that’s where he may be focusing for anything he will do before the election, before he has to sort of remain silent so as not to interfere with the midterm elections,” she said.

Wine-Banks has reiterated frequently over the past year that she believes she could bring a successful case against Trump over his firing of Comey.

“There is so much evidence now, and as was said, it’s not one piece, it’s the total picture. The pieces of the puzzle are fitting together and they spell obstruction,” Wine-Banks said back in January.

The former Watergate investigator is a frequent critic of Trump and his administration’s handling of the Russia probe.