Sally Yates: Trump would be indicted on obstruction of justice if he were not president

Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said Sunday that President Trump likely would be indicted on obstruction of justice if he were not president.

“I’ve been a prosecutor for nearly 30 years, and I can tell you I’ve personally prosecuted obstruction cases on far, far less evidence than this,” Yates, whom Trump fired after she refused to defend his travel ban targeting several majority-Muslim countries, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

“I believe if he were not the president of the United States, he would likely be indicted on obstruction,” she added.

{mosads}Yates’s comments come after special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report on the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election was released to the public.

The probe did not uncover evidence of coordination between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin.

Mueller and his team did not come to a conclusion on the issue of obstruction of justice, instead detailing 10 potential instances and deferring on a judgment.

Yates on Sunday pointed to former White House counsel Don McGahn, who claimed Trump asked him to fire Mueller in June 2017, as one of the more compelling examples of obstruction of justice.

Yates finished her interview by emphasizing that the examples detailed may point toward other issues with Trump’s presidency.

“I think, really, the bigger issue is not just whether or not this establishes a crime that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but is this the kind of conduct that we should expect from the president of the United States?” she said.