The White House staff, including McGahn, did not "save" Trump from being charged with obstruction of justice; they saved themselves. We only have one President at a time, and that is the only person who can escape indictment while in office. Even if McGahn had been pardoned, for example, he still would have been disbarred. Choosing not to commit the crime the President asks you to commit does not keep the President from committing the crime; it only keeps you from doing it. We understand this with mob bosses; why do we think it doesn't apply to a POTUS?
And can we please stop acting like "intent" means proof beyond a reasonable doubt of one's internal mental state? Why is it journalists covering criminal investigations are so stupid about such basic matters? This is like covering politics without understanding what an election does. Again, journalists cover criminal trials all the time. When was the last time they saw a case dismissed because the prosecution failed to prove the innermost thoughts of the defendant were "criminal"?
How is it an investigation of a President makes common knowledge leave the building?
It's different when you're a Republican, certainly with the Washington Press Corps, especially the kind who get on PBS shows. I stopped watching that in the 80s, my mother asked me to, it's about the only time she heard me swear.
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