Former President Trump said there will be “years of trauma” if the president is not granted complete immunity from prosecution for his actions in the White House, even if the actions “crossed the line.”
“The President of the United States must have complete immunity, without which it is impossible to properly carry out his duties. Any mistake, even intentional, will almost certainly be met with disapproval at the end of his term. will be prosecuted by the faction,” Trump wrote in all caps in a post on Truth Social early Thursday morning.
“Even events that 'cross the line' must be subject to complete impunity. Otherwise there will be years of trauma trying to decide between right and wrong,” he added. “There has to be certainty.”
Trump likened the president to a police officer, arguing that police officers shouldn't be stopped from doing their “strong and effective crime prevention work” just because they're “bad apples.” 'Sometimes you have to endure it,' he added. It's a little incomplete. ”
Trump's comments came as his lawyer, John Sauer, told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit seeking a motion from Trump's team on federal charges of election interference. The announcement came a week after a similar lawsuit was filed.
During the hearing, the justices appeared skeptical of the argument that a president can only be prosecuted if he has already been impeached and convicted by the Senate.
Asked whether a president who directed SEAL Team 6 to kill a political opponent could not be prosecuted for his actions, Sauer said “conditionally yes” unless the president is first convicted by the Senate. . One of the panel's judges said that under this framework, a president could take any action on his last day in office or resign immediately thereafter without fear of criminal prosecution, and could be subject to impeachment and conviction by Congress. He pointed out that there is a possibility that the ruling could be blocked within the deadline.
The appeals court appears poised to reject Trump's arguments in the case, and Trump has indicated he intends to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
President Trump indicated in a post Thursday that he intends to appeal to the high court again.
“Every President must have full and complete executive privilege, or the power and decisiveness of the President of the United States will be stripped and forever lost,” Trump wrote.
“I hope this is an easy decision. God bless the Supreme Court!” he added.
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