Most Americans say former President Trump should be granted immunity from prosecution over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a new poll, as a federal appeals court prepares to consider the issue. I disagree with former President Trump's assertion that
in new vote According to CBS News/YouGov posted Tuesday, attendees asked whether President Trump “should be immune from criminal prosecution for actions he has committed while in office.” More than six in 10 participants (64%) disagreed with this argument, and about 36% said former presidents should be granted immunity.
When it comes to investigations and related charges, a majority of Republicans (69%) say they support immunity for President Trump for his actions while in office. Only 14% of Democrats and 32% of independents said the same.
The former president faces four felonies in connection with federal election fraud. Prosecutors allege he was involved in a conspiracy to defraud the United States and was at the center of a campaign to block the certification of the January 6, 2021 vote for President Biden.
Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly argued that his actions leading up to and surrounding the insurrection are protected by presidential immunity.
They are asking the appeals court to overturn a lower court's ruling that rejected the argument. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter on Tuesday.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled last month that “there is only one chief executive of the United States at a time, and that position does not confer a lifetime 'get out of jail free' pass.”
Following Chutkan's decision, Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to immediately consider the immunity argument. He cited efforts to get the March trial back on track.
The country's highest court declined to take up the case, ruling that the appeals court should consider it first.
These legal proceedings could delay Trump's trial, currently scheduled to begin on March 4.
The former president confirmed on social media that he would appear at Tuesday's hearing and reiterated his claim of immunity.
“Of course, as president of the United States and commander in chief, I was entitled to immunity. I wasn't campaigning, the election was long over,” Trump said. I have written Posted on Monday's Truth Social. “I was looking for voter fraud and it was my duty to find it and run this country any other way.”
His legal team has repeatedly tried to delay the criminal proceedings in Washington, D.C., as well as in Georgia, New York and Florida, in hopes that the case will be postponed until after the 2024 election.
The CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted from January 3 to 5 among a sample of 2,157 U.S. residents. The margin of error is 2.8 percentage points.
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