Former President Donald Trump’s prior attorney on Monday told CNN that the Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity also shields President Joe Biden from prosecution.
The Supreme Court found that presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts” taken in office after Trump’s appeal to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case against him. Michael van der Veen on “CNN News Central” said that, although people are discussing how the ruling benefits Trump, it “really protects” Biden because he now has immunity for actions he’s taken during his presidency as well.
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“You know, what‘s interesting about this decision now is it really protects President Biden. President Biden, when he is no longer the president, whatever that is, won’t really be able to be prosecuted for anything that he‘s doing in office that’s an official act. And so it gives him a level of protection in this decision today, that I don’t think folks are really contemplating yet,” van der Veen said.
“Because there was a big fear that if Trump were to win and President Biden was out of office, that there would be prosecutions of him and people with him. And the protections afforded are also afforded to President Biden. Interesting,” he continued.
Trump faces four felony counts relating to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Smith’s case. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, previously rejected Trump’s endeavor to toss the case in December and originally scheduled the trial for March.
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Department of Justice interpreted an obstruction statute too broadly when charging Jan. 6 defendant Joseph Fischer’s and hundreds of others. The ruling could affect Trump’s case because two of the charges brought by Smith pertain to the statute.
