Presidents can assassinate their rivals, Trump lawyers boldly suggest in DC immunity case
Posted on AllSides January 9th, 2024
From The Right
Donald Trump’s attorneys argued Tuesday that presidents can’t be convicted of a crime if not impeached first – but a panel of appellate judges seemed skeptical.
“Could a president who ordered SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival (and is) not impeached, would he be subject to criminal prosecution?” asked Judge Florence Pan during a 90-minute hearing in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
“A qualified yes,” Trump lawyer John Sauer answered as the 77-year-old former president looked on.
Sauer claimed that the framers of the Constitution created presidential immunity to avoid “politically motivated...