Hollywood A-lister Kerry Washington took to her X account to launch into a lengthy rant falsely claiming that the US Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump “can order the military to kill political opponents with no accountability.”
of scandal The star told her 5.3 million followers that a “conservative” Supreme Court had created a “blueprint for tyranny,” but she apparently fails to recognize that the court has not moved to endorse criminal conduct, but has merely reinforced what has been true about the president’s legal status at least since Barack Obama’s presidency, and maybe even before that.
“Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the president is immune from criminal prosecution,” Washington said solemnly in the roughly three-minute video.
“So I’m going to say something now that may seem extreme to you, but this is no exaggeration. Please listen carefully to what I’m saying: this decision is a blueprint for tyranny,” she exclaimed. “This decision leaves the platform for the president to do whatever he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wants. And the only thing stopping that from happening is you – your voice, your vote.”
yesterday’s #Supreme Court I will explain our decision. Please, please, listen. Your vote matters. Now more than ever. pic.twitter.com/6G4A6fgoWc
— Kerry Washington (@kerrywashington) July 2, 2024
Of course, Washington is wrong. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled that the president has the power to do whatever he wants. decision Chief Justice John Roberts has said that the president is only immune from prosecution if he exercises “core Constitutional powers” and has “presumed immunity” otherwise. No president can be immune from prosecution for unconstitutional criminal acts.
However, the actress is confident she has her facts straight and attempted to explain further.
“So according to the Supreme Court, a conservative court made possible by President Trump’s first term, the president of the United States has immunity from prosecution for actions he takes as president while in office,” she said, without fully explaining what actions that would entail.
“So what does that mean?” she continued. “Well, as my sister, Justice Sonia Sotomayor from the Bronx, explained — and I’m paraphrasing — she said that the decision means that Trump can order the military to kill his political opponents with no accountability.”
This is false. As Breitbart News explained, using the military in such a manner is unconstitutional. And even if the president issued such an order, it is up to the military commanders involved to veto the illegal order or risk being held liable for criminal conduct themselves. Immunity does not extend to “unofficial acts.”
“This is why other democracies have collapsed in recent years – not through war or coups, but because elected governments use tools to chip away at the power of the people, until they ultimately have no ability to hold their governments accountable,” Washington added, without citing examples to support his claim.
“So if Donald Trump is re-elected, there will be very little we can do to stop him from using the power of the White House as he pleases,” she said.
“There is reason to be frustrated with our democracy. I understand that, I feel that. We have a long battle ahead of us before this country truly lives up to its ideals.” How to Get Away with Murder “But this year I want to say that our true freedom depends on voting,” Starr said, “and so many of us have assumed that our votes don’t matter, and I fear that there may come a day in the near future when our votes don’t matter at all.”
She ended her rant by urging her followers to get involved and go vote.
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