Biden: ‘Premature’ to say whether future administration would prosecute Trump

Former Vice President Joe Biden called it “premature” to comment on whether he would prosecute President Trump if he was elected president in 2020.

Biden was responding to questions from reporters on Wednesday about whether a future potential administration of his would be willing to prosecute Trump after the current president leaves office, according to two tweets from journalists present with him.

{mosads}”I’m not one of these guys, you know, lock him up or send her home or that kind of stuff,” Biden told reporters in Michigan, according to the tweets.  

When I asked him if a Biden administration would prosecute Trump after his presidency, he said that was “premature.”

“I’m not one of these guys, you know, lock him up or send her home or that kind of stuff.” https://t.co/2H8pJ0VVkO

— Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) July 24, 2019

Biden called it “premature” to speculate if his administration would prosecute Trump once he’s out of office. “I’m not one of these guys, ‘Lock ’em up’ or ‘Send her home’ or that kind of stuff,” he said. https://t.co/bFt3yT5yoB

— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaNBCNews) July 24, 2019

Biden’s comments come after special counsel Robert Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee that he believes Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice when he is no longer president. 

Mueller has cited the Department of Justice’s guidelines that state a sitting president cannot be indicted as a reason for stopping his office from considering whether to charge Trump with a crime.

Biden also reportedly told reporters he still believed Trump should be impeached.

Biden said Mueller indicated that there was enough evidence to bring charges against the president as a private citizen. “That’s a pretty compelling thing.” https://t.co/SFsb2gL6r8

— Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) July 24, 2019

So far more than 90 House Democrats back starting an impeachment inquiry against Trump, though Democratic leadership has opposed starting one. It remains unclear how much Mueller’s testimony on Wednesday will change the impeachment drive.