Here’s what you need to know…
Legal analyst Laurence Tribe stated on Friday that former President Donald Trump is on a path leading “directly to conviction” for his alleged role in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021 which is a frightening sign.
Trump is currently facing four criminal cases, with the most prominent being a federal election interference case filed by the Department of Justice and special counsel Jack Smith. This case is related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which ultimately resulted in the Capitol riot.
The trial, scheduled for March 2024 and overseen by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, has Trump facing charges such as conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. Despite pleading not guilty to all charges in this case and the other three criminal cases, Trump’s legal team argued for immunity from prosecution due to his status as president at the time.
However, Chutkan ruled on Friday that Trump is not immune from prosecution, rejecting the defense’s argument. She emphasized that former presidents do not enjoy special conditions on their federal criminal liability and that the position of president does not confer a lifelong “get-out-of-jail-free” pass.
In response to the ruling, Tribe expressed on social media that Chutkan’s rejection of Trump’s immunity defense indicates that the former president is “headed directly to conviction” in the Washington, D.C., case. Tribe, along with former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, suggested that Chutkan’s decision could have significant implications and may be setting the stage for a Supreme Court argument if an appeal is pursued.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, responded to the ruling by accusing Democrats, led by President Joe Biden, of attempting to undermine constitutional principles. Cheung claimed that these efforts could set dangerous precedents that would impact future presidential administrations and the country as a whole, attributing the actions to a desperate attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.