JAMES COMEY/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Donald Trump and his lawyers are staking out a vision of an unrestrained and all-powerful presidency in a staggeringly audacious defense of his actions related to the Russia probe already shared with special counsel Robert Mueller. The assertions made by Trump’s former lawyer John Dowd and Jay Sekulow, who remains on his team, in a just-revealed letter to Mueller spell out an expansive definition of presidential authority to explain why Trump should face no legal liability for his actions — including the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The letter, which a source told CNN Trump reviewed and approved before it was sent in January, includes the caveat, “Of course, the President of the United States is not above the law,” but then makes an argument that implies that he is, in fact, exactly that. A Monday [6-4-18] morning Trump tweet will exacerbate concerns that the commander in chief believes he is not answerable to the law and that he could terminate the Mueller investigation or escape consequences if wrongdoing is unearthed by the probe, which is examining alleged collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia and whether the President obstructed justice.”
-Stephen Collinson, “Trump’s above-the-law presidency,” CNN Politics, CNN.com June 4, 2018 12:30 pm