Donald Trump is involved in a number of lawsuits, and he is trying his best to get out of them as he continues his campaign for the 2024 presidency. One of the lawsuits in question comes from special counsel Jack Smith, who has brought the case of election interference against the former president for his involvement in January 6, 2021 attack on the capitol. Trump attempted to have the case dismissed by claiming presidential immunity, but this week, a federal appeals court rejected his request. Keep reading for more details.
Donald Trump's Involvement In The 2021 Capitol Attack
On Jan. 6th, 2021, Trump's supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., two months after Trump lost the election to Joe Biden and amid Trump's claims of election interference. His supporters claimed they were acting on behalf of Trump, and believed he was the rightful president. Their attack resulted in over $2M in damages and the death of three police officers.
While the attack was happening, Trump was posting tweets to Twitter, now known as X, which he has since been banned from. Here's a look at some of his tweets from that day:
"THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR COUNTRY, NEEDS THE PRESIDENCY MORE THAN EVER BEFORE - THE POWER OF THE VETO. STAY STRONG!"
"The States want to redo their votes. They found out they voted on a FRAUD. Legislatures never approved. Let them do it. BE STRONG!"
He reposted a tweet that reads: "Republicans confirmed Justice Barrett, which they had the clear, lawful right to do, and in response Chuck Schumer said "EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE NOW." If that's the case, why shouldn't Republican legislators go to the wall for the President?" and captioned it, "Get smart Republicans. FIGHT!"
With these tweets as evidence, it's easy to see how special counsel Jack Smith wants to use them as a way to prove election interference.
Donald Trump Attempts To Get Presidential Immunity
Donald Trump is facing trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, something that he thought he would be immune from, because he was president while he was tweeting support to his followers during the Capitol attack. But, this excuse has been rejected by a federal appeals court.
"For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the court wrote. "But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution."
They continued, explaining that public interest in criminal accountability "outweighs the potential risks of chilling President action."
A spokesperson for Donald Trump said that they would be appealing the ruling "in order to safeguard the Presidency and the Constitution." Trump supported this statement in a post to Truth Social, a social media platform, saying that a president "must have Full Immunity in order to properly function and do what has to be done for the good of our Country."
