There's at least 3 steps of bureaucracy between the president and the prosecution: Junior prosecutors->US Attorney->Attorney General->President. He may ultimat

There's at least 3 steps of bureaucracy between the president and the prosecution: Junior prosecutors->US Attorney->Attorney General->President. He may ultimately be in charge of the prosecutions, but for him to take that much control is considered unseemly. The closest the President will generally come to deciding whether to prosecute someone is to make a policy that certain crimes will get extra attention or no attention. Alternatively, he can fire the US Attorney.