Judge Andrew Napolitano indicated Tuesday if a report about President Donald Trump trying to interfere with a federal investigation involving his former lawyer is true, that would be an attempt to obstruct justice.
The Fox News legal analyst told the network's Shepard Smith that The New York Times report claiming Trump asked former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to replace the prosecutor in charge of the case involving Michael Cohen, National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, and Trump himself in New York City would be devastating if it is true.
Napolitano said Trump would have showed "corrupt intent" in making the alleged phone call to Whitaker.
"That is an effort to use the levers of power of the government for a corrupt purpose, to deflect an investigation into himself or his allies," he said.
When it comes to obstruction of justice, Napolitano said that is only a crime if the obstruction actually succeeded in blocking or changing a case.
"But if you try to interfere with a criminal prosecution that may knock at your own door by putting your ally in there, that is clearly an attempt to obstruct justice," Napolitano said.
"This breaks new ground," he added.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.