Nice try Donald Trump!
Judge Tanya Chutkan is overseeing Donald Trump’s trial on election subversion, much to Donald Trump’s chagrin. She also presided over another case involving Donald Trump when he moved to block the House Select Committee from obtaining his White House records. Judge Chutkan’s most memorable sentence in that ruling was: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.” She has similarly ruled in the current case that Trump has no immunity for the crimes he committed while in office and after he left. That ruling is currently pending before the Court of Appeals. Jack Smith, creative lawyer that he is, has decided not to wait for the Court of Appeals. He reached out to the Supreme Court to decide, once and for all, whether Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution because he was once (a very bad) president. Should SCOTUS decide to hear this case, that argument will be put to bed once and for all.
You’ve got to love Jack Smith. He’s not one to sit back and wait to see what happens; he would much rather make things happen, especially when it comes to keeping this case on track. Trump’s attorneys have a specific way that they handle court cases: delay, delay, delay. Smith is aware of that, and he thwarts it at every turn. He has asked SCOTUS to rule immediately so that the trial isn’t delayed. Smith seems to stay one step ahead of Trump and his clown cadre of lawyers. Smith has handled many high-profile cases in his career, and Trump does not intimidate him. The special counsel is correct that this trial is “of imperative public importance.” Trump’s machinations have already caused several groups to sue to keep him off the ballot in different states, and fake electors have been indicted in Georgia and Nevada. It is clear where all this is headed: Smith wants this issue resolved prior to the 2024 election begins.
As Chutkan said in her 2021 ruling, Trump was not the king when he was in office. This type of behavior is why the early settlers wrote the Constitution. They did it to be free of the king, who had absolute power and rule. Just because someone is president doesn’t give them the right or freedom to do as they chose. We have laws in this country that prevent dictatorial rule regardless of what Donald Trump thinks. He must adhere to the laws of this country just as the rest of us do and to allow him to do otherwise sets a dangerous precedence. How this is even a question is mind-boggling. Trump’s attorneys claim that he is immune because he was president at the time he committed fraud against the American people. Yes, he was president, but he was not empowered to do whatever he liked, and he especially wasn’t empowered to commit crimes.
If SCOTUS decides to hear this matter, any decision by the Court of Appeals becomes moot. Richard Nixon committed crimes, and he would have been impeached and possibly more had he not resigned. Trump is no better than Nixon, and he needs to be tried by a jury of his peers.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years