In Mueller Clash, Trump May Define What Presidential Power Means
- Letter by Trump’s lawyers pushes limits on executive authority
- Trump’s view on such power may ultimately be tested in court
U.S. President Donald Trump
Photographer: Olivier Douliery/Pool via BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
If Donald Trump prevails in his clash with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, one of his legacies may be to redefine the limits of presidential power -- a constitutional concept so amorphous that even his own lawyers’ views on the matter appear to evolve.
A private letter from Trump’s legal team to Mueller, written in January, asserted what amounts to an unlimited right to halt federal investigations and issue pardons, concluding that a president cannot obstruct justice.