So far the most compelling evidence that President Donald Trump may have obstructed justice is that he admitted to firing FBI Director James Comey because he was unhappy with the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia.

“When I decided to do it I said to myself, I said, “You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story,” Trump told NBC’s Lester Holt. This contradicts Trump’s earlier claim that he fired Comey due to his mishandling of the Clinton email investigation.

Last week, both the New York Times and Washington Post broke stories that might implicate Vice President Mike Pence in a potential obstruction of justice case against Trump. Although the precise details are sketchy, we know that Trump initially authored a lengthy memo stating his real reason for firing Comey (that he wanted to shut the Russia investigation down).

That memo was later rejected by White House Counsel, Don McGahn. But the reports from the New York Times and Washington Post indicate that before it was rejected, Trump read the memo aloud to some of his closest advisers, including Pence. Which means Pence was very likely aware of Trump’s real motivations regarding the Comey decision. Yet on the following day Pence went before the public and affirmed Trump’s cover story for firing Comey.

I reached out to seven top legal experts and asked if Pence’s participation in Trump’s cover story makes him guilty of obstruction. There was not a clear consensus.

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