(WatchDogReport.org) – According to a decision by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, former President Trump does not enjoy immunity from federal prosecution simply because he was once commander-in-chief.
Former President Trump, now known as citizen Trump, is allegedly entitled to the same defenses as any other defendant in a criminal action- no more, no less.
The decision follows a month of assertions by Trump’s legal team that their client, as a former president, held blanket immunity from federal prosecution. The special counsel’s attorneys contended that this would have a chilling effect on presidential power and make it easier for presidents to commit crimes like accepting bribes to steer government contracts or selling nuclear secrets to foreign enemies.
The justices thought it was paradoxical that the only official who might disobey the law without incurring repercussions was the president, who is constitutionally obligated to see that laws are protected.
According to Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, the former president plans to challenge the DC Circuit’s judgment to defend the presidency and the Constitution.
The Trump team voiced its worry in a statement that the opposition party may immediately charge outgoing presidents of crimes if immunity is not provided. Without absolute protection, they argue, the President of the United States could not carry out his duties.
The absurdity of presidents pledging to implement the laws faithfully and then breaking them while being protected by the law was argued by Judge Karen L. Henderson. Some justices stated that lifetime immunity for ex-presidents would collapse our system of separated powers by placing the president beyond the reach of all three branches.
If re-elected, the former president has hinted that he could try to get the federal charges against him dismissed in DC and FL. A Georgia attorney for Trump has said that speculation has circulated that the president may want to push the trial of the election meddling case against him in Fulton County, Georgia, out until 2029.
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