WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Former President Donald Trump chose to attend his hearing in our nation’s capital yesterday. However, the former president’s defense did not seem to be well received by the judges.
The panel of federal judges questioned the argument that Trump is immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election.
“To authorize the prosecution of a president for official acts would open a Pandora’s box from which this nation would never recover,” said Trump’s attorney D. John Sauer.
However, the panel of three federal appeals court judges expressed skepticism around the immunity claims.
“I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate criminal law,” said Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson.
A quick decision is crucial for Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team to get the case to trial before the November election. Prosecutors argued that Trump’s actions to overturn the election fall outside a president’s official duties.
“The president has a unique constitutional role, but he is not above the law,” said prosecutor James Pearce.
The panel of judges said it plans to move quickly but Trump’s lawyers are hoping for an extensive appeals process that could delay the trial.
