By Isaac Akerele
A Federal appeals court on Tuesday firmly rejected Donald Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution over attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
The ruling eliminates a key defense for the ex-president as he now faces criminal charges for the January 6th Capitol attack.
“Trump has become citizen Trump,” the three-judge panel wrote, devoid of any executive protections. “He has the same defenses as any criminal defendant.”
Trump’s attorneys argued conducting the election challenges was part of his official duties. But the court strongly dismissed that assertion.
“No president is wholly above the law,” they countered. “Trump asked us to make him the first fully immune for actions as president. We refuse.”
The unanimous opinion called Trump’s efforts to block Joe Biden’s victory an “unprecedented assault on democracy” itself. It permitting the case to move toward trial, is currently set for mid-April.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, in a statement on Tuesday said Mr Trump refuses the decision and promises to appeal potentially to the Supreme Court. Tuesday’s ruling leaves the ex-president far more legally exposed.
“This was Trump’s trump card and he just lost it,” commented attorney Daniel Jacobson, adding that proving innocence just got harder.
With only Few Presidents to have ever faced criminal prosecution over conduct in office, Trump is expected to file an emergency stay request with the Supreme Court, to bid time as his attorney work out a better on merits
