Only Trump's Office Prevented Charges: Former Prosecutors

Attorney General William Barr said there isn't the evidence to charge President Trump with a crime. Hundreds of former federal prosecutors disagree. They've signed a letter saying that the findings of Robert Mueller's investigation would have resulted in charges against anybody who wasn't president, the Washington Post reports; Justice Department policy prevents charging a sitting president. Trump's behavior concerning potential obstruction of justice, the letter says, "is similar to conduct we have seen charged against other public officials and people in powerful positions." The statement was released by Protect Democracy, a frequent critic of the Trump administration.

By late Monday afternoon, more than 450 former career government employees and political appointees had signed, per the Post; they worked in every administration since Dwight Eisenhower's. Not only would anybody but a president be charged, Vanity Fair points out, but the letter says similar evidence would "result in multiple felony charges." Despite Barr's statements, the letter adds that it's not a tough call: "We emphasize that these are not matters of close professional judgment." (The attorney general could be held in contempt by the House on Wednesday.)