Lawfare Archive: Paul Rosenzweig on Investigating American Presidents
Mar 16, 2024
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Exploring the history of presidential investigations from Ken Starr to Robert Mueller, insights on current inquiries involving President Biden, a deep dive into a timely lecture series on investigating American Presidents, discussions on legal frameworks and historical investigations of presidential misconduct, and insights on the role of public perception in upholding the rule of law.
The relevance of historical presidential investigations to the Mueller inquiry was emphasized by Paul Rosenzweig's insights.
The complexities of issues like executive privilege and indictment of a sitting president were analyzed in the course.
Deep dives
Overview of Robert Herr's Testimony
Special Counsel Robert Herr testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding President Biden's handling of classified documents. Lawfare senior editor Quinta Duresek highlighted weaknesses in Herr's report, with media criticism focused more on Biden's age and mental state.
Benjamin Woodis and Paul Rosenspew on Presidential Investigations
In an episode from November 10, 2018, Benjamin Woodis discussed with Paul Rosenspew about his 12-part lecture series on presidential investigations. Rosenspew shared insights from his experience in investigating the Clinton White House, emphasizing the relevance of their discussions to the Mueller investigation.
The Role of Special Counsel Robert Mueller
Amidst the anticipation surrounding the Mueller investigation, Benjamin Woodis and Paul Rosenspew delved into the impact of changing acting attorneys general and the potential obstacles Mueller faces. The discussions revolved around the essentiality of Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election and its correlation with the Trump campaign.
Insights on Presidential Misconduct Investigations
The 12-part lecture series 'Investigating American Presidents' by Paul Rosenspewig analyzed the historical context, legal constraints, and political implications of presidential investigations. The course highlighted the complexities surrounding issues like executive privilege, indictment of a sitting president, and the presidential pardon power, providing a comprehensive perspective on the intricate dynamics of such inquiries.
From November 10, 2018: With the firing of Jeff Sessions and his replacement with former U.S. attorney Matthew Whitaker, all eyes this week are focused on whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians will get to run its full course. But even before the Sessions firing, Benjamin Wittes and Paul Rosenzweig had inquiries into the presidency on their minds. On Tuesday morning, they sat down to discuss Paul’s recent 12-part lecture series on presidential investigations released through the online educational platform The Great Courses.
They talked about how Paul structured the lecture series, Paul’s own experience on Independent Counsel Ken Starr’s team investigating the Clinton White House, and the course’s relevance to the Mueller investigation.