Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday blasted the Supreme Court for “acting arbitrarily” to grant immunity to the president for his official duties in office, “further undermining” the court’s credibility.
“Today, the Supreme Court issued an arbitrary ruling that violated a fundamental American principle that no one is above the law,” Pelosi wrote. “The former president’s assertion of total presidential immunity is an affront to the vision of our Founding Fathers, who declared our independence from King.”
“The Supreme Court has brought itself on trial with this judgement. Its credibility has further diminished in the eyes of all those who believe in the rule of law,” she added.
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that core presidential powers are immune from criminal prosecution, a victory for former President Trump and sending a federal election interference case back to lower courts to decide whether his actions in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election merited protection.
The ruling was ideologically based and fell short of granting Trump the complete immunity he sought in the case, but it is still a win for Trump as it makes it less likely the case will go to trial before the 2024 presidential election this November.
Pelosi pointed to part of the court’s ruling that said the actions of public officials are inadmissible in trials of non-public officials, calling it a “very dangerous aspect of the ruling.”
“The 6-3 Republican-appointed Supreme Court gave defendants a political gift by delaying,” Pelosi wrote.
The ruling was a stern ruling on some of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictments against Trump, finding that various actions Trump took to remain in power after losing the election were indeed defensible.
The case was sent back to district court, where it has been paused while the Supreme Court considers Trump’s immunity claim. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, will have to reconsider the issue along with Trump’s other pending efforts to have the lawsuit dismissed.
