Trump's broad claims of executive immunity lead to criticism he is acting above the law
In a series of legal maneuvers that have defied Congress, drawn rebukes from federal judges and tested the countrys foundational system of checks and balances, President Trump has made an expansive declaration of presidential immunity that would essentially place him beyond the reach of the law.
Both in courts and before Congress, Trumps legal teams are simultaneously arguing that the president cant be investigated or indicted by prosecutors because Congress has the sole responsibility for holding presidents accountable, and that the Houses impeachment inquiry is an unconstitutional effort that the White House can ignore.
We have a president who simply doesnt believe that Congress is a coequal branch of government, said Elliot Williams, who helped run the Justice Departments legislative affairs office during the Obama administration. Thats a huge departure from anything weve seen in our lifetimes.
The broad legal effort escalated on Tuesday when the White House counsel sent a letter to House Democratic leaders dismissing Congresss impeachment inquiry as illegitimate and stating that the entire executive branch would refuse to cooperate with it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-broad-claims-of-executive-immunity-lead-to-criticism-he-is-acting-above-the-law/2019/10/09/b8811be8-eaaa-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html