(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – HAPPENING NOW: In a dramatic step upping further the stakes in Donald Trump’s Democrat-led indictments, the US special counsel prosecuting him has asked the United States Supreme Court to determine if the former president enjoys immunity from federal charges over crimes allegedly committed in office.
On Monday, Special Counsel Jack Smith requested that the Supreme Court consider arguments made by Trump’s lawyers, asserting that their client is immune from the federal charges related to the January 6, 2021, events at the US Capitol.
“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin,” Smith wrote in his 81-page petition to the Supreme Court.
He emphasized the urgency of this matter, noting its “imperative public importance,” given the approaching trial date of March 4, 2024, for the former president, The New York Post reports.
Trump’s legal team has already contested a district court’s decision rejecting absolute immunity.
Even with an expedited appeals process, Smith expressed concern that the Supreme Court might be unable to address the key immunity issues in its current term, which concludes a few months before the 2024 election.
Smith’s petition seeks a rapid response, asking for a reply by December 18 and hoping for a ruling within the week should the Court decide to take up the matter.
In response, on Monday evening, the Supreme Court set a deadline of 4 p.m. December 20 for the former president’s attorneys to respond to Smith’s filing.
Trump’s lawyers maintain that his actions challenging his 2020 election defeat fall within the scope of his official presidential duties.
Smith also referred to historical precedents for swift action, citing the Supreme Court’s 1974 decision in United States v. Nixon. President Richard Nixon was compelled to comply with a subpoena for audio recordings vital to the Watergate investigation, having been denied executive privilege in that landmark case.
Drawing parallels to the Nixon case, Smith argued for the Court’s immediate intervention “without awaiting the completion of appellate proceedings.”
He further noted that Trump’s double-jeopardy claims, which argue that he cannot be prosecuted because he was impeached but acquitted by the Senate, do not grant him immunity.
“Crooked Joe Biden’s henchman, Deranged Jack Smith, is so obsessed with interfering in the 2024 Presidential Election, with the goal of preventing President Trump from retaking the Oval Office, as the President is poised to do, that Smith is willing to try for a Hail Mary by racing to the Supreme Court and attempting to bypass the Appellate Process,” a Trump spokesperson said in a statement.
“‘Deranged’ may need to be reminded that the Supreme Court has not been kind to him, including by handing down a rare unanimous rebuke when the Court overturned him 8-0 in the [Bob] McDonnell case… This prosecution is completely politically motivated… There is absolutely no reason to rush this Witch Hunt to trial, except to injure President Trump and his 150 million, at least, supporters,” the spokesperson declared.
