“Ensuring that the office remains sacred and above the fray of shifting political winds and gamesmanship is of critical importance,” they wrote. They said that because of those demands on Mr. Trump’s time, the special counsel’s office should have to clear a higher bar to get him to talk. “The president’s prime function as the chief executive ought not be hampered by requests for interview,” they wrote. “As such, these actions cannot constitute obstruction, whether viewed separately or even as a totality.”That constitutional claim raises novel issues, according to legal experts. Under the Constitution, the president wields broad authority to control the actions of the executive branch.

Source: New York Times June 02, 2018 18:26 UTC