During the final Republican presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses, former Ambassador Nikki Haley called Trump's defense of presidential immunity from prosecution “ridiculous.”
”I agree with Donald Trump's lawyer's argument in court that the president should be immune from any actions, including ordering the assassination of a political opponent, unless he is first impeached and convicted of that crime by the Senate. ” Haley asked during Wednesday night's debate with CNN's Jake Tapper.
”No, that's ridiculous,” Haley replied. So you need to use common sense here. You can't go kill your political opponents and claim immunity from the president. I think we have to start doing the right thing. Ron said we should have leaders we can look up to. So please stop lying. Because if you lie, no one will respect you.”
Haley added: “But I think what we need to look at is what President Trump has done. If you look at the last few years, this country is completely divided. “We are divided by extremes. We are divided by hatred. We are divided by facts.” People think that if someone disagrees with you, it's their fault. And now our country has leaders who decide who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong. That's not the leader's job. Oh my god! What a leader does is bring out the best in people and help them understand the path forward.”
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Republican presidential candidate and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley greets voters at a New Hampshire town hall event on April 26, 2023 in Bedford, New Hampshire. ((Photo by Spencer Pratt/Getty Images))
Mr. Tapper's question to Ms. Haley related to comments made this week in a Washington, D.C., courtroom by Mr. Trump's lawyer, D. When asked if immunity from prosecution applies to him, he answered “conditionally yes.” SEAL Team 6 assassinates political opponents. ”
“He will have to be impeached and convicted,” Sauer argued.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the crowd at a campaign rally in Summerville, South Carolina, on September 25, 2023. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Sauer said, “As the OLC memo itself points out from the Department of Justice, under the structure of the Constitution a political process must occur, and in these exceptional cases conviction and impeachment by the Senate may not be possible.” It will be necessary.” Speedy impeachment and conviction. ”
Sauer argued Tuesday in a federal appeals court that the president has “absolute immunity” even after leaving office, but the justices seemed skeptical of that claim.
Justice Karen Henderson, appointed by former President George H.W. ” he countered.
But Sauer argued that Biden is “prosecuting someone who is the sitting president's biggest political opponent and his biggest electoral threat.”
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U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks at a press conference on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC, USA. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Special Counsel Jack Smith's team argues that the president is not entitled to absolute immunity and that President Trump's alleged actions after the November 2020 election were outside the scope of his official duties. did.
Prosecutor James Pearce said, “While the president has a unique constitutional role, he is not above the law.The principle of separation of powers, the text of the Constitution, history, precedent, and the principle of immunity all apply to former presidents.'' “The conclusion is that immunity from prosecution is not granted.” He added that the former president's alleged attempt to overturn the election “is not the place for some new form of impunity.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report
