Former President Donald Trump hinted early Monday that President Biden could be indicted in the future if Trump's claims related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot are not successful.
“If I'm not immune, then crooked Joe Biden won't be immune either. The border invasion and Afghanistan surrender alone, not to mention the millions of dollars that went into his 'pocket' in foreign funding, “It would be ripe for prosecution,” Trump said. I wrote it on Truth Social.
“By weaponizing the Department of Justice against my political opponent, Joe has opened a giant Pandora's box.”
The 45th president has vowed since last year to “retaliate” against his political opponents if he wins a second non-consecutive term in the White House.
Last August, the 77-year-old President Trump promised to appoint a special counsel to evaluate the Biden family's business dealings and “investigate all these bribes, kickbacks, crimes, and shameless cover-ups.”
“Justice will be done,'' the 45th president vowed. at that time.
Trump similarly declared during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would create a “special counsel” to investigate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
However, that promise never materialized.
On Monday, President Trump also confirmed that he will appear at Tuesday's hearing in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. There, his lawyers are scheduled to give oral arguments defending the president's immunity claim.
“Of course, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, I am entitled to immunity,” Trump said. “I was looking for voter fraud and it was my duty to find it.”
Trump's lawyers are seeking to drop four federal charges against him for continuing to serve after his 2020 election loss, alleging that he was acting in an official capacity at the time.
His lawyers also argue that prosecuting him over the 2020 election amounts to double jeopardy because he was impeached a second time and acquitted on charges of inciting insurrection. .
If Trump's lawyers are successful, it could have dramatic ramifications for other cases against him, particularly the 13 election fraud charges in Georgia.
Special Counsel Jack Smith's office denounced the concept of presidential immunity, arguing that it would give future presidents full license to violate the law.
“The defendant's assertion of blanket immunity threatens to give him license to commit crimes in order to remain in office. The Founders never intended and would never tolerate such an outcome,” prosecutors said. was written in the documents submitted at the end of last year.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump's 2020 election case, previously sided with Smith's team, arguing that the 77-year-old was not entitled to a “life-long release from prison.” did.
The Trump campaign then appealed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Chutkan also suspended “further proceedings to move this case to trial,” with some exceptions, pending the appeal.
Last week, Mr. Trump's team tried to hold prosecutors in contempt for filing charges despite the suspension, but the special counsel's office countered that it was acting on Mr. Chutkan's orders.
Smith argued last month that the Supreme Court jump over the D.C. Court of Appeals to expedite consideration of the immunity issue, but the high court refused.
Trump is currently scheduled to go to trial in the 2020 election case starting March 4, and prosecutors have indicated they intend to stick to that schedule.
