A bizarre 1956 murder case might ultimately thwart Robert Mueller's Trump investigation
In September, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., will hear a case about the 1956 disappearance and presumed murder of a Columbia University professor, Jesus Galindez, and through happenstance and possibly misaligned stars, the case could prevent Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings on President Trump, Russia, collusion, and obstruction of justice from being released or even sent to Congress.
"It is a sleeper case," Harvard Law professor Alex Whiting told Politico. "If the D.C. Circuit were to accept the Department of Justice's arguments ... that would have potentially enormous implications for the future of the information from the Mueller investigation. That could close out a path by which that information becomes public." The case pits the Justice Department against Stuart McKeever, a lawyer and author who has extensively researched Galindez's disappearance and possible murder in the Dominican Republic. He wants a judge to unseal a D.C. grand jury's report on Galindez's disappearance, and the Justice Department is arguing that judges don't have "inherent authority" to release most grand jury reports, including, potentially, Mueller's final report.
Hearing the case will be two Republican-appointed judges, including the sole Trump appointee on the D.C. appellate court, and one judge appointed by former President Barack Obama. Its verdict will be mostly irrelevant if Democrats win control of the House in November and can subpoena Mueller's report, Politico explains, but if Republicans keep control and the judges side with the Justice Department, there may be no avenue for Mueller to release his findings, hampering any push for impeachment. You can read more about the case at Politico.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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