happened that didn't get saturday night massacre level attention but it was arguably just as important. on september 24, 1973, the office of legal counsel, the olc, part of the department of justice issued a memo that concluded, "criminal proceedings against a president in office should not go beyond a point where they could result in so serious a physical interference with the president's performance of his official duties that it would amount to incapacitation." in plain english, please do not indict a sitting president. that was the opinion of the department of justice in 1973. 2 years later in the year 2000, the same legal counsel doubled down on that opinion. quote, the indictment of criminal prosecution of a sitting president would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch