The concept of presidential immunity is nothing new, but when it pertains to the criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, his political foes are up in arms over the thought that he might be spared prosecution for actions he took while in office.
Trump has argued that any president must be granted protection from criminal charges in order to have the freedom to take potentially unpopular actions that they nonetheless have concluded would be in the best interest of the country. Specifically, his attorneys assert that such immunity should shield him from prosecution on charges related to his dispute over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to issue its ruling on the matter, a slew of Democrats — and a handful of never-Trump quasi-Republicans including former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming — are weighing in with their opposition to a potential ruling in the former president’s favor.
“When [Trump] is now pushing this idea that a president should have complete immunity against any criminal prosecution for anything he does in office and he’s pushed this appeal to the Supreme Court, I think it’s very important that the Supreme Court recognizes what he’s doing is a delaying tactic,” Cheney said during a speech at Drake University.
She went on to characterize Trump’s actions as a direct assault on the nation’s electoral system that must be treated as a serious crime.
“It cannot be the case that a president of the United States can attempt to overturn an election and seize power and that our justice system is incapable of holding a trial and holding him to account before the next election,” she added.
Supreme Court justices will hear arguments in the case, which stemmed from a recent appeals court ruling that Trump is eligible to stand trial, next month.
Judge Merchan cuts President Trump’s $454 million bond to $175 million. It was also announced Trump’s New York State trial will start on April 15th. Trump’s SCOTUS hearing on presidential immunity is April 25th. Trump can’t attend both. Unconstitutional!
pic.twitter.com/CJW17BzfKw— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) March 25, 2024
A court filing by Trump’s legal team made the case for determining that the president should be granted immunity.
“The president cannot function, and the presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the president faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office,” the attorneys wrote.
