Trump belief that 2020 election was stolen is not a defense, DOJ says
Washington PostNov 01, 2023
The Facts
The US Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear arguments about former Pres. Donald Trump's immunity in the federal election interference case, sending the dispute to a federal appeals court instead.
This follows Special Counsel Jack Smith's appeal that SCOTUS fast-track a review of Trump's presidential immunity claim earlier this month — a request he reiterated on Thursday, saying a "prompt resolution" is needed.
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Even while defending himself against charges of trying to dismantle democracy, Trump is looking for ways to break the system. Trump’s strategy is clearly to delay this trial until he can possibly return to the White House and crush this case, and the special counsel was well within his powers to ask SCOTUS to expedite a judgment. SCOTUS should have done the right thing and ruled promptly.
Pro-Trump narrative
Smith should stop hiding behind the notion of protecting democracy, and admit his shady case is political persecution by the Biden administration. In his briefs, Smith never gave a valid reason for expediting this review. But it’s obvious the goal was to derail Trump’s return to the White House by tarnishing his good name — possibly getting a conviction before the 2024 election cycle kicks into high gear.
