If the US Supreme Court gives Donald Trump immunity to commit any and every crime he wants (if he is allowed to return to the Oval Office in 2025), it will be the end of democracy and America as we know it!
Politics :
Last week, arguments in the Donald Trump immunity case began in front of the 9 US Supreme Court justices. The arguments were based on the idea that should he win the November election, Trump wants to put an end to the democratic principles of checks and balances within the government. Or, in other words, Donald Trump doesn’t want to be “president” — he wants to be KING of America. He wants omnipotence. He wants to end democracy, award himself Putin-like powers, and crown himself a feared dictator.
The sad truth here is that this is not hyperbole. This is not a drill. This is America’s new reality.
On Thursday, the Trump legal team argued that it was in the best interest of America for a president (meaning Trump, since they assume he will win) to have absolute immunity. The moment was historic since no US president has ever begged for immunity until now. The moment was also laughable since the attorneys actually allowed such words to flow from their mouths while holding a straight face.
The Donald Trump immunity case presented arguments that a president (again, meaning only Trump) should be able to order the US military to assassinate a political rival or stage a political coup just to keep him in power (and be immune from any future prosecution). So long as he could call it an “official act” as president, Trump would be immune from all prosecution.
During one exchange, attorney John Sauer suggested that a president (Trump) should be allowed to assassinate a political opponent if he felt that opponent was “corrupt.” Under those circumstances, he believes the magnificent and magical Donald Trump immunity would apply.
“That could well be an official act,” Sauer said.
At Thursday’s hearing, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan got Sauer to admit that under their plan, Trump could share nuclear secrets and receive total immunity.
“That sure sounds bad, doesn’t it?” Kagan replied.
Next, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson openly questioned the obvious.
“If the most powerful person in the world with the greatest amount of authority could go into office knowing that there would be no potential penalty for committing crimes, I’m trying to understand what the disincentive is from turning the Oval Office into the seat of criminal activity in this country.”
The Trump team couldn’t respond simply because there was no logical response.
“Trying to overthrow the Constitution and subvert the peaceful transfer of power is not an official act, even if you conspire with other government employees to do it and you make phone calls from the Oval Office,” Michael Waldman, a legal expert at the Brennan Center for Justice said.
“I am in shock that a lawyer stood in the US Supreme Court and said that a president could assassinate his political opponent and it would be immune as ‘an official act.’ I am in despair that several Justices seemed to think this answer made perfect sense,” said Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation.
I am in shock that a lawyer stood in the U.S Supreme Court and said that a president could assassinate his political opponent and it would be immune as “an official act.”
I am in despair that several Justices seemed to think this answer made perfect sense. pic.twitter.com/4J0uLs62G1
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) April 25, 2024
“Trump’s legal argument is a path to dictatorship. That is not an exaggeration: His legal theory is that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity for official acts. Under this theory, a sitting president could violate the law with impunity, whether that is serving unlimited terms or assassinating any potential political opponents, unless the Senate impeaches and convicts the president. Yet a legislature would be strongly disinclined to impeach, much less convict, a president who could murder all of them with total immunity because he did so as an official act. The same scenario applies to the Supreme Court, which would probably not rule against a chief executive who could assassinate them and get away with it,” said Adam Serwer of The Atlantic.
His “desire for immunity stems from the fact that Trump has nearly twice as many criminal indictments as the American flag has stars. And the need for the Supreme Court to even consider whether a president can effectively be above the law stems from the fact that a large swath of Americans have let themselves get brainwashed by a con artist –- I’m talking about Trump, in case that isn’t clear –- who leaves a trail of criminality in his wake,” said USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke.
“The Framers did not put an immunity clause into the Constitution. They knew how to,” Justice Kagan pointed out during oral arguments. “And, you know, not so surprising, they were reacting against a monarch who claimed to be above the law. Wasn’t the whole point that the president was not a monarch and the president was not supposed to be above the law?”
The lust for Donald Trump immunity should come as a surprise to no one, particularly since Trump has spent his entire life stiffing contractors, leveraging bankruptcy laws, and looking for slick ways to avoid consequences every step of the way.
However, what may surprise most people is the news that the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court is considering granting Trump much of what he wants.
Yes, instead of laughing the bizarre “immunity” arguments out of the building, at least 5 justices appeared to buy into the Trump team’s narrative that the power of the president must be protected from malicious and politicized litigation. With that in mind, court analysts say the justices just might grant Trump extreme permission to define the parameters of what’s considered “an official act.”
If this happens, Donald Trump will be king and democracy will be dead!
“I think it was made clear, I hope it was made clear, that a president has to have immunity,” Trump said with a smirk following Thursday’s arguments. “You don’t have a president — or at most, you could say it would be a ceremonial president. That’s not what the founders had in mind.”
He continued, ”We want presidents that can get things done and bring people together. So I heard the meeting was quite amazing. Quite amazing. The justices were on their game.”
OK WASSUP! discusses Politics:
Supreme Court hears Donald Trump immunity arguments.
Unfortunately I have to say that I don’t put any trust is this right-wing majority Court at all. I don’t think they give one fig about their place in history.
And Lord knows I hope that I’m wrong! 🙏