The panoply of defenses that Donald Trump and his parking lot lawyers have floated for his multitude of crimes have run the gamut from “I’m allowed to do it,” to “everybody does it,” to “it’s a witch hunt,” to “they’re all out to get me.” Rarely does he ever bother to assert the most obvious exculpatory position: that he’s actually innocent.
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Perhaps the reason that Trump so studiously avoids claiming innocence is that he knows that he’s guilty, and he’s proud of it. Trump goes on daily rants wherein he whines that he is the victim of a justice system that is determined to destroy his already putrid reputation. It’s hard to recall any criminal defendant being more disrespectful to prosecutors, judges, witnesses, prospective jurors, and the press, than Trump. He is spitting in the faces of those who hold his fate in their hands. And he vows to get revenge.
SEE THIS: Herr Trump Decrees: If Media Doesn’t Air My Speeches They Should Have Their Licenses Revoked
In another demonstration of Trump’s bellicose belligerence, he posted a comment on his failing social media scam, Truth Social, that nicely summarizes the core theme of his criminal defense strategy. It proposes a form of “presidential immunity” that indemnifies him from prosecution for whatever crime he has committed. Whether it be financial fraud, or inciting a violent insurrection, or threatening election officials, or stealing (and perhaps disseminating) classified documents. In his characteristic all-caps caterwauling, he wrote that…
“A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MUST HAVE FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY FUNCTION. ANY MISTAKE, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, WOULD BE MET WITH ALMOST CERTAIN INDICTMENT BY THE OPPOSING PARTY AT TERM END. EVEN EVENTS THAT ‘CROSS THE LINE’ MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY.”
Of course, there is no legal precedent that permits a president to violate the law at will. To the contrary, America has a long history of holding that no one – no matter their status or privilege – is above the law.
Trump’s claim that it would be impossible to make a decision without the guarantee of total immunity is absurd in the extreme. It would allow a president to freely incarcerate or assassinate his political foes. He could dispose of any unfriendly Senators, Supreme Court Justices, and journalists, without having to worry about the consequences. What’s more, his decisions that have landed him in legal hot water have nothing to do with the conduct of presidential duties.
And lest anyone believes that Trump just didn’t think this through, or had not considered the legal free-for-all he was suggesting, he included in his statement that “EVEN EVENTS THAT ‘CROSS THE LINE’ MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY.” It’s fair to say that the 91 felony charges that Trump is currently facing cross the line. Not to mention unlawful detention and extrajudicial murder. But Trump wasn’t finished. He continued with an…
“EXAMPLE: YOU CAN’T STOP POLICE FROM DOING THE JOB OF STRONG & EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GUARD AGAINST THE OCCASIONAL ‘ROGUE COP’ OR ‘BAD APPLE.’ SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH ‘GREAT BUT SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT.’ ALL PRESIDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, OR THE AUTHORITY & DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE FOREVER. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION. GOD BLESS THE SUPREME COURT!”
So Trump is comparing himself to a “rogue cop” who he believes is an acceptable “imperfection” in the legal system. He is arguing that you can’t have safe and effective crime prevention unless the police are permitted to shoot innocent bystanders or take bribes from drug dealers. He is apparently unaware that law enforcement officers who break the law are not immune from prosecution. Nor should they be.
Trump believes that if presidents have to worry about complying with the law it will hamper their decision making. That’s obviously not true. Although it might hamper their making a decision to violate the law, but that’s a good thing, unless, of course, you’re Donald Trump.
Finally, Trump is quite right to hope that “THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION.” But under the circumstance, his conclusion for god to bless the Supreme Court sounds more like a threat. Which, if they give him the immunity that he’s asking for, it might very well turn out to be just that.
UPDATE: Trump has contradicted his argument for presidential immunity, asserting that, for some reason, it doesn’t apply to President Biden.
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Of course, “Presidential Immunity” cannot apply when you’re NO LONGER PRESIDENT!!!
Heck, even Richard Nixon didn’t go THIS far!!
It can’t apply while the person is still in office for anything that’s not directly a part of the job of being “President.”
Having ?security? forces “clear” a street so that the politician (like one in the presidency did) can hold a media event in front of a church is NOT part of the job of the Office of the President.
It was shameful when tfg did it and it’s shameful that the media failed to make a major stink about it.
Plenty of more examples are available. Check out “Emoluments.”
When can we expect the stupid/foolishness (pick one or both) to stop?
– – – – So Trump is comparing himself to a “rogue cop” who he believes is an
– – – – acceptable “imperfection” in the legal system. He is arguing that you
– – – – can’t have safe and effective crime prevention unless the police . . .
The “police” rarely are doing “crime prevention”, if ever. They’re the mop up after the fact. Call it “crime retaliation.” They don’t prevent your house getting broken into. They rarely even catch the person(s) who broke in.
“Rogue Cop” refers to those who are taking the law into their own hands by beating and/or killing those who they’ve decided are guilty, and that guilt was not determined in a court of law.
Let’s start getting these things correct!
I assume he wants the presidential immunity to start on his first day in office rather than immediately?
Trump wants the judicial power for himself, and that’s what he’s promised if he gets back in. He’ll take the legislative power from Congress and the Judicial power from the judiciary. Imagine a defendant being arrested and sentenced by a judge who can’t enforce the sentence. We’d have chaos. Zodiac killer, Cleveland Strangler, Son of Sam, Jim Jones, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy would run amok.
Not too long ago, the American people demanded that those running for President (or Congress) should have plans, an agenda of things they intend to do if they win the election. Things the people could support ~ good things, meeting the needs of this Country & its people. Working with fellow nations for peace & the good of the global community. Candidates needed ideas that would win the votes of a majority of voting Americans. (If you can’t recall those days, you’re likely younger than my 65yrs.)
Let’s look at Trump’s (& GOP’s) spoken agenda:
~”Retribution”
~ Imprisoning his perceived enemies
~Total Presidential Immunity
~ Being a dictator on 1st day in Office, but ONLY on 1st day (Yeah, right – name any dictator that gave up that power on Day 2)
~ Control of media
~ Has also spoke of taking over the powers of Congress & Judiciary once back in WH
(I’m sure there may be more that I missed, or have yet to be spoken outside the GOP.)
Is he running for the job of democratically elected President? Sounds totally like a Dictator to me! It’s completely valid to also go by things he did when in WH before…
Like, working for his own financial benefit…threatening everyone who does not kiss his fat ass…bullying & telling astronomical # of lies…attempted extortion of our allies…keeping many secrets for personal gain…constantly firing appointees who disagree, or refuse to do illegal things for him…destroying documents (flushing, burning, etc.) hiding & taking others with him….
You get the idea here.
I wonder how foreign leaders feel about the fact that Trump is running & may be back in Oval Office again?? Are they wanting/willing to work with him again?!? Why aren’t any newsmedia outlets talking to leaders of other nations & reporting it?? We should know what the rest of the world thinks about dealing with Trump again!?! It DOES matter to our relations with rest of the world! Because we ELECT our leaders, we are held responsible for who our leader is & how they deal with other leaders/nations. Somehow, I doubt much of the world will be willing, or glad to deal with Trump & pals yet again. Why is no one in newsmedia asking what world leaders have to say? We need to know what to expect. IMHO
Reality is none of this, if written as a script, could ever sell, due to the absurdity of this situation which allows a single person to do this much damage already, and may unleash his deadliness if in Office, once more. He has promised executions of Political ‘enemies’. Chanting “Hang Mike Pence” showed his minions come prepared with their gallows for January 6th, 2021. In Legal Terms it is Pre-meditation to commit a crime? which was shown that day. I am not an Attorney… That should have been the proverbial straw to break all Republicans support, the same day. It did not, will not, and will be expected if he regains control. He was a “Fake TV Bully Boss”, not a man of character clearly, but Republicans were couch potatoes back then, easily amused with all things Hollywood. So they decided, like minions, to appoint him their “Dear Leader”. Some are worried about how his Best Buddy Kim can excute his own family on TV, and TRrumpasaurus admires it.