Former US president Donald Trump Thursday said that his claim of “total” presidential immunity from criminal prosecution should apply even in cases where his actions “cross the line.”
The former US president is campaigning for a White House comeback in November while battling 91 criminal allegations in four different cases, including allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and hiding top secret documents at his golf properties.
On the grounds of “presidential immunity,” Trump asserted that he should not be held accountable for actions he performed while serving as president of the United States.
As a federal appeals court weighs that issue, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that presidents would not be able to “properly function” without “full immunity”.
“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,” he wrote.
“Even events that ‘cross the line’ must fall under total immunity,” Trump said, asserting that otherwise there will be “years of trauma trying to determine good from bad.”
Will Trump appeal?
Trump’s request for immunity against prosecution over his involvement in efforts to meddle with the 2020 election results is presently being reviewed by a federal appeals court in Washington.
“All presidents must have complete & total presidential immunity, or the authority & decisiveness of a president of the United States will be stripped & gone forever,” Trump wrote.
“Hopefully this will be an easy decision. God bless the Supreme Court!” he added.
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Published: 18 Jan 2024, 11:40 PM IST