Political commentator Van Jones said Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision that core presidential powers make the president immune from criminal prosecution was “like a license to commit heinous crimes” for former President Trump.
The Supreme Court’s decision is a major victory for Trump, sending the federal lawsuit over the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol back to the court to determine whether charges are valid. A hearing on the decision is likely to be postponed until after the presidential election.
But Jones expressed more concern about future actions Trump might take if re-elected in light of the decision.
“Politically speaking, this is kind of a license to commit violence,” Jones continued. “It means you can do whatever you want and the Supreme Court will probably allow it. And that’s what’s so frightening about this case, and it really worries me.”
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision was based on ideology and fell short of granting Trump the complete immunity he sought in the case.
Jones said the justices must decide “whether they care more about the misconduct of a sitting president or the possibly wrongful prosecution of a former president,” adding that “the justices are clearly more concerned about the latter.”
He said the decision was politically “bad” and “makes the Supreme Court look very partisan.”
“They’re going to be wearing black and white referee jerseys or something. They’re going to look like they’re wearing red jerseys or MAGA hats. It would be politically bad for the Supreme Court,” Jones said.
The ruling, which finds that various actions taken by Trump to remain in power after losing the election are indeed protected, deals a blow to some of the charges in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment against Trump.
The case was sent back to district court, where it has been paused while the Supreme Court considers Trump’s immunity claims. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, will now have to reconsider the issue, as well as Trump’s other pending efforts to have the lawsuit dismissed.
