Trump was charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election
Trump’s team announced, “Will appeal to protect the presidency and the Constitution”
Trump, a prominent Republican presidential candidate, faces four criminal charges
The U.S. federal appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that actions taken during his presidency cannot be subject to prosecution, even in the second trial.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), on the 6th (local time), the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., rejected Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution for charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
“Trump has become ‘citizen Trump’ with the same rights to a defense as any other criminal defendant,” the panel of three judges in the appellate court stated. “He is no longer protected by the immunity that may have existed during his presidency.”
The court also noted, “The claim that Trump is entitled to comprehensive immunity is not supported by precedent, history, or the Constitution,” and “We can see that the institutors of the amendment intended for public officials to be subject not only to impeachment but also to general criminal prosecution.”
In early December last year, the court rejected Trump’s claims in the first trial, ruling that “it does not grant former presidents immunity from going to prison for life.”
John Sauer, Trump’s lawyer, contended in oral arguments on the 9th of last month, “A former president cannot be criminally prosecuted for acts of office unless he is impeached in the House and acquitted in the Senate.” He also emphasized, “If the president has to look over his shoulder every time he has to make a controversial decision, it inevitably weakens the president’s ability.”
Upon the rejection verdict in the second trial, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s election campaign, announced, “Trump will appeal to protect the presidency and the Constitution.”
“For a U.S. President to function properly and do what needs to be done for the country, he must have complete immunity, “Trump posted on his social media. “Such a nation-destroying verdict cannot be allowed.”
Trump, currently a leading Republican presidential candidate, is facing four criminal charges.
Most Commented