Prosecuting the President

Condition: BRAND NEW ISBN: 9780197533048 Author(s): Andrew Coan Format: Paperback Illustrator: Tim Archbold Language: English Year: 2020 Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc Pages: 248

Description: 'The perfect book for the present moment. Prosecuting the President is magnificent.' -- David Marcus, Professor of Law, UCLAIn this exceptionally timely book, law professor Andrew Coan explains what every American needs to know about special prosecutors -- perhaps the most important and misunderstood public officials of our time. The first special prosecutor wasappointed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1875, to investigate a bribery scandal involving his close friends and associates. Ever since, presidents of both parties have appointed special prosecutors and empowered them to operate with unusual independence. Alsocalled special counsels and independent counsels, such appointments became a standard method for neutralizing political scandals and demonstrating the President's commitment to the rule of law. Special counsel Robert Mueller is the latest example.In Prosecuting the President, Andrew Coan offers a highly engaging look at the long, mostly forgotten history of special prosecutors in American politics. For more than a century, special prosecutors have struck fear intothe hearts of Presidents, who have the power to fire them at any time. How could this be, Coan asks? And how could the nation entrust such a high responsibility to such subordinate officials? With vividstorytelling and historical examples, Coan demonstrates that special prosecutors can do much to protect the rule of law under the right circumstances. Many have been thwarted by the formidable challenges of investigating a sitting President and his close associates; a few have abused the powers entrusted to them. But at their best, special prosecutors function as catalysts of democracy, channeling an unfocused popular will to safeguard the rule of law. By raising thevisibility of high-level misconduct