On Thursday, former president Donald Trump asserted presidential immunity and urged a federal judge to dismiss the Washington, D.C., election interference case brought against him for his alleged acts in the wake of the 2020 election.
Trump’s legal team argues that his position as president at the time shields him from liability for actions that fall beyond the “outer perimeter” of his official responsibility, such as communicating with Congress and Department of Justice officials about his allegations of election fraud.
“The President of the United States sits at the heart of our system of government. He is our Nation’s leader, our head of state, and our head of government. As such, the founders tasked the President — and the President alone — with the sacred obligation of ‘tak[ing] Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.’”a court filing to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan stated.
“Breaking 234 years of precedent, the incumbent administration has charged President Trump for acts that lie not just within the ‘outer perimeter,’ but at the heart of his official responsibilities as President. In doing so, the prosecution does not, and cannot, argue that President Trump’s efforts to ensure election integrity, and to advocate for the same, were outside the scope of his duties.” it continued.
Jack Smith, a special counsel for the Department of Justice, charged Trump with a number of felonies in connection with his alleged attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election.
On August 1st, the indictment, which charged Trump with lying about the election results, became public.
Trump entered a not-guilty plea to the accusations.
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