US presidents cannot be prosecuted for selling pardons or assassinating political rivals through SEAL Team Six, personal Trump lawyer John Sauer argued Tuesday

Advancing a sweeping interpretation of executive immunity, Donald Trump’s attorney told a federal appeals court on Tuesday that U.S. presidents could not be prosecuted for selling pardons or assassinating political rivals through SEAL Team Six.

Trump’s lead attorney D. John Sauer argued that only a president who has been impeached and removed from office in a Senate trial potentially would be subject to prosecution for those kinds of alleged crimes.

A three-judge panel appeared extremely skeptical of Trump’s vision of absolute immunity, sharply questioning and interrupting Sauer during the opening minutes of the oral arguments with the former president himself sitting nearby.

“Could a president order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival? That’s an official act–an order to Seal Team Six,” U.S. Circuit Judge Florence Pan asked Sauer.

“He would have to be, and would speedily be, you know, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution,” Sauer replied, setting a pre-condition for such prosecution in Pan’s hypothetical.

  • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.world
    392·
    10 months ago

    “Could a president order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival? That’s an official act–an order to Seal Team Six,” U.S. Circuit Judge Florence Pan asked Sauer.

    “He would have to be, and would speedily be, you know, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution,” Sauer replied, setting a pre-condition for such prosecution in Pan’s hypothetical.

    Unless it’s a Republican, he means.

    This is their plan for every election, administrative, and legal matter: let Congress decide.

    A body they can buy bribe and beleaguer.

    • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.worldEnglish
      221·
      10 months ago

      This is their plan for every election, administrative, and legal matter: let Congress decide.
      A body they can buy bribe and beleaguer.

      Or “legally” assassinate opposing members before the impeachment vote.

    • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world
      51·
      10 months ago

      “He would have to be, and would speedily be, you know, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution,”

      Then he could assassinate them all, continually, until Congress is packed with people so afraid they’ll be killed if they step out of line and there’s no legal recourse. Just like the Founding Fathers intended…