Jack Smith Tells Supreme Court to Keep Trump Charges
Special counsel Jack Smith called on the Supreme Court on Monday to reject a bid by Donald Trump to invoke presidential immunity to avoid a trial over an alleged effort to subvert the 2020 election results, saying the “Framers” never intended such privileges for former presidents.
The Supreme Court is poised to weigh Trump’s arguments on April 25 that he should not be prosecuted for acts taken while he was still president, namely Smith’s four-count indictment alleging an effort to upend President Joe Biden‘s 2020 election victory. Smith told the justices in a court filing that even if they find that former presidents enjoy some form of immunity, at least some of Trump’s actions were “private conduct” and should be prosecuted.
“The Framers never endorsed criminal immunity for a former President, and all Presidents from the Founding to the modern era have known that after leaving office they faced potential criminal liability for official acts,” Smith told the high court in a 66-page filing.
Smith took aim at several of Trump’s claims that have been made in an effort to convince the court that he should be immune from charges in the case. He pointed out that Trump “suggests that unless a criminal statute expressly names the President, the statute does not apply.”
“That radical suggestion, which would free the President from virtually all criminal law — even crimes such as bribery, murder, treason, and sedition — is unfounded,” the filing said, adding that the text of “nearly all” federal criminal laws covers all individuals, including the president. (Read more from “Jack Smith Tells Supreme Court to Keep Trump Charges” HERE)
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