After Special Counsel Jack Smith circumvented standard protocol and requested that the U.S. Supreme Court rule on whether the former president may claim immunity in the 2020 election case, former President Donald Trump is launching a fierce attack on the attorney general.
Following the special counsel’s decision to forego the federal appeals court and proceed directly to the nation’s highest court to determine whether the former president can assert his complete immunity from federal prosecution for alleged criminal attempts to overturn the results of the last election, given that these actions occurred while he was in office, Trump accused Smith of “election interference” in a post on Truth Social.
RUSH, RUSH, RUSH to the Supreme Court on the important matter of Presidential Immunity, something which is so basic to America that it should be automatic, is what Deranged Jack Smith, the Biden appointed ‘nut job’ prosecutor with a big record of losing because he goes too far, wants to do, Trump wrote on Wednesday.
It is planned for the federal trial to start in March 2024. Smith stressed the “imperative public importance” of the Supreme legal’s prompt decision on the immunity defence in his legal filings. The timing of the federal election trial, in which Trump has entered not-guilty pleas to four counts, is another crucial element for the former president.
Trump has always maintained that all criminal investigations against him are “witch hunts” with a political goal to thwart his prospects of winning the next election. He has also denied any misconduct in the federal case.
“[Smith] wants to meddle in the 2024 presidential election in an effort to harm Biden’s political opponent, but he does not want to go to our Highest Court with a defeat or a bad ruling. The former president continued in his statement, “In other words, he wants to cheat because if they really wanted SPEED, they would have brought this ridiculous lawsuit three years ago, and it would be long ago over.”
The main assertion made by Smith’s team is that the indictment’s activities do not fall under the purview of a president’s duties.
No president in office has ever been charged with a crime. Because there is a dearth of previous case law, Trump’s legal team is hoping to have the charge dismissed. The Supreme Court has ruled that the president is generally immune from civil responsibility, even if it is unclear whether this immunity extends to criminal prosecution.
Following their decision to take the case, the Supreme Court instructed Trump’s legal team to submit their answers by December 20 on Monday.
Smith requested an accelerated appeal, but the court should reject this request, according to unsuccessful arguments made in separate filings with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Trump’s lawyers compared the special counsel to the Grinch in their arguments, claiming that because of the former president’s suggested schedule, the opening brief would be due the day after Christmas.
“In any case, personal scheduling conflicts are subordinated to the public’s need for a prompt resolution of these significant legal matters,” the prosecution stated.
In a sharply worded statement, Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign attacked Smith and President Joe Biden—who is also seeking reelection—for their attempts to maintain the case’s March 4 trial date, which falls one day before the Super Tuesday primaries.