United States: A US appeals court has ruled that former President Donald Trump is not immune to federal charges alleging he orchestrated a plot to unseat President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declared on Tuesday that “for the purposes of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defences of any other criminal defendant.”
“But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution,” its ruling read.
Judges have rejected Trump’s claims that he cannot be held accountable for his actions while in the White House for the second time in as many months, according to the ruling. A spokesman for the Trump campaign stated that the decision “threatens the bedrock of our republic.”
“Without complete immunity, a President of the United States would not be able to properly function!” the spokesperson, Steven Cheung, said in a statement. He stated that Trump would file an appeal, but he did not specify whether he would go straight to the Supreme Court or first request an assessment from the entire Washington appeals court.
To give Trump time to file an appeal, the case will be put on hold until at least Monday.
After the Supreme Court announced last month that it was temporarily staying out of the immunity dispute and rejected a request from special counsel Jack Smith for a prompt ruling, the appeals court assumed a central role in the case.
Trump’s attorneys have maintained that unless a former president is first impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from office by the Senate, they cannot be criminally charged for their official actions.
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