Durbin says Supreme Court’s decision to take up Trump’s immunity ‘disappointment’ for delaying case

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday that the Supreme Court will hear former President Trump’s immunity appeal after the Supreme Court last week delayed the start of his federal trial to January 6. He criticized the decision.

“Any delay in considering this important issue, this timely issue, will delay resolution of these cases by at least several months,” Durbin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“I think that was unfortunate. I think courts have acted quickly in the past when they recognized that the president’s schedule was in jeopardy. And I’m really concerned about what they did. ” he added.

The Supreme Court announced last week that it would consider arguments over whether criminal charges could be brought against President Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss. Mr. Trump and his lawyers argue that his actions while president are protected from criminal prosecution.

The Supreme Court’s decision to take up the case will likely delay the start of the trial until after the summer. The trial was originally scheduled to begin on March 4, but the start of the trial was delayed due to President Trump’s appeal.

Asked if he wished special counsel Jack Smith had brought the election interference case against Trump sooner, Durbin said he had no “second thoughts” about his decision to do so.

“I don’t know every situation, but when you prepare for a case of this magnitude and magnitude, you know you’re doing the right thing and that you have all the evidence you need. “Of course you want to make sure,” he said.

“I can’t speculate on what the U.S. Department of Justice is saying about that. But it’s certainly an issue that needs to be resolved before the election, and this decision by the court makes that even more difficult.” “I have,” he added.