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Ted Lieu on Principles & Values

 

 


Trump committed all three elements of obstruction of justice

LIEU: The first element of obstruction of justice requires an obstructive act. On pg. 97 of Vol. 2, you wrote [that Trump attempted] "to end the existing investigation into the president and his campaign." That would be evidence of an obstructive act because it would naturally obstruct their investigation, correct?

MUELLER: Correct.

LIEU: The second element of obstruction requires a nexus to an official proceeding. You wrote, "by the time of the president's meeting on June 19, 2017, the existence of a grand jury investigation was public knowledge." That would constitute a nexus because a grand jury investigation is an official proceeding, correct?

MUELLER: Yes.

LIEU: The final element of the crime of obstruction to justice [is] intent. You wrote, "the president's effort to limit the scope of the special counsel's investigation was intended to prevent further investigative scrutiny of the president & his campaign's conduct.". That's in the report, correct?

MUELLER: That is in the report.

Source: Mueller Report House testimony regarding impeaching Trump , Jul 24, 2019

Trump committed obstruction but presidents can't be indicted

LIEU: To recap what we've heard, we have heard today that the president ordered former White House Counsel, Don McGahn, to fire you [Special Counsel Robert Mueller]. The president ordered Don McGahn to then cover that up and create a false paper trail.ÿ I believe any reasonable person looking at these facts could conclude that all three elements of the crime of obstruction of justice have been met. And I'd like to ask you the reason, again, that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of [the Justice Department] opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?

MUELLER: That is correct.

LIEU: The fact that their orders by the president were not carried out, that is not a defense to obstruction of justice because a statute itself is quite dry. It says that as long as you endeavor or attempt to obstruct justice, that would also constitute a crime.

MUELLER: I'm not going to get into that at this juncture.

Source: Mueller Report House testimony regarding impeaching Trump , Jul 24, 2019

Religious freedom means no religious registry.

Lieu signed opposing a religious registry

Congressional Summary: Notwithstanding any other provision of the immigration laws, an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of the alien's religion or lack of religious beliefs.

Argument Opposed: [Countable.us]: "The U.S. should reserve the right to ban immigrants based on religion. The government may need to enact such a ban in response to a future acts of terror, which could save American lives."

Argument In Favor: [Cato Institute, Dec. 8, 2016]: Donald Trump proposed prohibiting all Muslim immigration; then specified "suspending immigration from nations tied to Islamic terror." He said, "People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East," but that he would "stop that dead, cold flat," during his first day in office. However, under current law, it is illegal to discriminate against immigrants based on their national origin. For almost a decade, Congress debated creating an immigration system free from discrimination by nationality, country of birth, or country of residence. President-elect Trump, however, now proposes to discriminate unlawfully against certain foreign nationals on the basis of the same protected grounds without any legislation from Congress.

Source: Protect American Families Act 16-HR5207 on May 12, 2016

Question Trump on Emoluments clause.

Lieu signed questioning Trump on Emoluments clause

Excerpts from Letter from 17 Senators to Trump Organization: The Trump Organization's continuing financial relationship with President Trump raises concerns about whether it is a pass-through for income that violates the Constitution's two Emoluments Clauses: Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 on foreign Emoluments; and Article II, Clause 7 on domestic Emoluments. Please answer the following questions to help Congress understand:

Legal Analysis: (Cato Institute, "Emoluments Clause vs. Trump Empire," 11/29/16): The wording of the Emoluments clause points one way to resolution: Congress can give consent, as it did in the early years of the Republic to presents received by Ben Franklin. It can decide what it is willing to live with in the way of Trump conflicts. If it misjudges public opinion, it will pay a political price at the next election.

FOIA argument: (ACLU Center for Democracy, "FOIA Request," 1/19/17): We filed our first Freedom of Information Act request of the Trump Era, seeking documents relating President Trump's conflicts of interest relating to his business connections. When Trump took the oath of office, he didn't take the steps necessary to ensure that he and his family's business interests comply with the Constitution. Some have even argued that upon taking the oath of office, the new president is already violating the Emoluments Clause.

Source: Letter from 17 Senators 17LTR-EMOL on May 18, 2017

2017-18 Governor, House and Senate candidates on Principles & Values: Ted Lieu on other issues:
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Antonio Villaraigosa
Carly Fiorina
David Hadley
Delaine Eastin
Doug Ose
Eric Garcetti
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John Chiang
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Neel Kashkari
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Page last updated: Jun 16, 2020