Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) is making moves to undermine former President Donald Trump following the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity [1]. Schumer is aiming to classify Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 as unofficial through legislative means, a move he claims would strip Trump of immunity from criminal prosecution.
According to Schumer, the Supreme Court erred in declaring that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for official acts while in office but not immune from unofficial acts.
He expressed his intentions on the Senate floor, stating, “[The Supreme Court] incorrectly declared that former President Trump enjoys broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took while in office. They incorrectly declared that all future presidents are entitled to a breathtaking level of immunity so long as their conduct is ostensibly carried out in their official capacity as president.”
Framing his stance under the guise of safeguarding democracy, Schumer emphasized, “We’re doing this because we believe that in America no president should be free to overturn an election against the will of the people, no matter what the conservative justices may believe.”
If successful, Schumer’s legislation would categorize Trump’s alleged election subversion efforts and his association with the Jan. 6 incident as unofficial acts, making him susceptible to prosecution for those actions.
Schumer criticized conservative justices for figuratively bestowing a crown upon Trump, insinuating favoritism. He further pledged to explore measures to “rein in the abuse of our federal judiciary,” echoing calls for judicial checks and balances.
On the opposing front, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ridiculed Democrats’ tactics, implying a show trial mentality by remarking, “Democrats seem to want to turn Washington into The Hague.” He sought to downplay the significance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, stating, “Their problem with the Supreme Court isn’t that they won’t be able to prosecute a president for unofficial criminal activity – because they still can. Their problem is that they won’t be able to prosecute official actions that they don’t like.”