‘Assassinate a Political Rival?’: Judge Grills Trump Attorney for Saying President Immune From Nearly Any Prosecution

An appellate attorney for former President 👤Donald Trump, in his effort to assert presidential immunity against criminal charges, suggested that presidents could order the assassination of political rivals without facing criminal charges during a hearing on Tuesday.

Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 election, has been indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith on four charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and actions on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump, who was president during the actions for which he was charged, has claimed constitutional immunity, for which an appellate hearing was held at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday after the federal district judge hearing the case rejected his claim, where his attorney, D. John Sauer, claimed that presidents are immune from prosecution for all official acts taken.

“Could the president order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival? That’s an official act,” asked Judge Florence Y. Pan, an appointee of President Joe Biden to the court.

“He would have to speedily be, you know, impeached and convicted before the criminal prosecution,” Sauer responded, to which Pan replied “but if he weren’t, there would be no criminal liability for that?”

Sauer indicated that there would be no liability for such an action, citing the opinions of Chief Justice John Marshall in