Lawyers acting on behalf of Donald Trump have argued that US presidents should be immune from prosecution in all cases – even if they assassinate their rivals.
The legal team was presented with a hypothetical scenario which involved a SEAL team being deployed to kill a political opponent, with attorney John Sauer saying a former president WOULD still have immunity in that case.
Donald Trump is currently facing 91 felony counts across two state courts and two different federal districts, any of which could potentially produce a prison sentence.
He’s also dealing with a civil suit in New York that could force drastic changes to his business empire, including closing down its operations in his home state.
His lawyers are hoping to put presidential immunity above all else in defending the likely Republican candidate to be president, but the moves have encountered heavy resistance.
James Pearce, a lawyer with Smith’s office, forcefully pushed back against the notion that mechanisms to hold presidents accountable for criminal actions should be weakened.
“What kind of world are we living in … if a president orders his SEAL team to murder a political rival and then resigns or is not impeached — that is not a crime? I think that is an extraordinarily frightening future that should weigh heavily on the court’s decision,” Pearce said.
But that hasn’t stopped Trump from doubling down on the remarks, telling a delegation in New York that a president has to have immunity.
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