WASHINGTON: US prosecutors on Saturday pleaded a federal appeals court to reject Donald Trump’s claim that the former president cannot face criminal charges for seeking to overturn his defeat in the 2020 polls.
Special Counsel Jack Smith argued in a court filing that nothing in the American Constitution or legal tradition supports giving ex-presidents “absolute immunity” from criminal charges for act taken while in the White House.
Though the case is now being considered by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, it is likely to come again before the country’s apex court, which earlier this month declined prosecutors’ plea for a speedy ruling in their favor holding that Donald Trump can be forced to stand trial on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 polls.
US: Prosecutors Plea Court to Reject Trump Immunity claim in 2020 Polls Case
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled earlier that Trump’s presidential immunity claims do not protect him from the charges the former President faces.
The court’s verdict to hear Trump’s appeal threatens to push back the case’s start date, scheduled for March 4, 2024. The SC earlier refused Smith’s plea to circumvent the normal appeals court process to rule speedily on the immunity claim.
Donald Trump defended his acts in the aftermath of his 2020 polls loss on Truth Social last Sunday, saying he was entitled to immunity.
