The Supreme Court docket on Thursday heard oral arguments on Trump’s declare of presidential immunity within the Jan. 6 case of Jack Smith in D.C. after a federal appeals courtroom dominated that Trump is just not immune from prosecution.
Trump’s attorneys have beforehand argued that Trump is immune from federal prosecution for alleged ‘crimes’ dedicated whereas he was US president.
The problem earlier than the Supreme Court docket is whether or not a US president is immune from legal prosecution for official (not non-public) acts.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh requested DOJ prosecutor Michael Dreben (a former Mueller henchman) why Barack Obama had not been indicted for drone strikes in opposition to civilians.
“How about President Obama’s drone strikes?” Kavanaugh requested Michael Driben.
Driben defended Obama’s drone strikes that killed married {couples} and harmless civilians.
“So the Workplace of Authorized Counsel checked out it very fastidiously and decided, primary, that the federal assassination statute applies to the chief department, however not the president personally conducting the strike, however the aiding and abetting statutes are broad and prescribed. {That a} public authority exception is constructed into the statute and it applies particularly to the murder statute that talks about illegal killing doesn’t apply to drone strikes,” Dribben stated.
Dreben might have saved a number of time and simply stated that Barack Obama has Democrat privilege.
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Justice Kavanaugh asks DOJ lawyer whether or not Barack Obama needs to be prosecuted for utilizing drone strikes in opposition to civilians pic.twitter.com/7yBMmQMMZM
— Benny Johnson (@BennyJohnson) April 25, 2024
Trump’s Missouri-based lawyer, John Sauer, gave a gap assertion Thursday and argued that Jack Smith’s criticism makes use of obscure legal guidelines to criminalize the president’s “elementary authority.”
Sauer argued that immunity protects previous presidents reminiscent of George W. Bush and Barack Obama from being prosecuted for crimes dedicated whereas in federal workplace.
He additionally introduced up Obama’s drone strikes in opposition to civilians.
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