Former President Barack Obama called out President Donald Trump for directing the Justice Department to prosecute his political opponents and critics, saying the attorney general, who leads the DOJ, isn't the president's "consigliere."
Obama made the comments in an interview that aired May 5 with Stephen Colbert, who hosts CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
"The White House shouldn't be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever," Obama said when asked about what powers he believes presidents should not have.
"The idea is that the attorney general is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consigliere," he added. "Consigliere" is a term for an adviser or counselor to the leader of a criminal organization, such as a Mafia family.
Obama said at this point that principle "probably" needs to be codified, or committed to law by Congress.
