this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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The stark question was posed to Trump’s attorney John Sauer by Judge Florence Pan: Was a president immune from prosecution for any unlawful act, at all? Could a president order his political rivals to be assassinated by Seal Team 6 as an official act? Could he sell pardons at his pleasure if he saw fit and then face no consequences for his actions?

“He would have to be impeached and convicted first,” Sauer replied,

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[–] [email protected] 152 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (9 children)

How on EARTH did the judge miss his chance to ask the obvious follow-up.

"Does this apply to Biden also? Can he murder his political rivals under your legal theory? Can he murder your client?"

"Why not?"

[–] [email protected] 54 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The judge definitely called out Trump's lawyer tho

Judge Henderson cited this specifically on Tuesday when hearing arguments from Sauer.

Trump, she told him, said he couldn’t be prosecuted while he was in office, but he also conceded that he could be prosecuted once he was out.

Logic doesn't work with trumpets tho, they just say whatever happens to help them the most in the moment.

Here pretty soon they'll start saying it's too close to the election, so this has to be postponed.

If he wins, they'll say it has to wait till after, then they'll start over in the beginning.

trumps lawyers are just going to stall as long as they can.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Whoa, hey, trumpets are cool. Don't despoil them like that!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

still unfair to the intellectual and emotional capabilities of chimps

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago
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[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"That depends. Are you going to force his estate to pay the rest of my legal bills? If so, then yes. If not, then no."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Jokes on him. He ain't getting paid regardless.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

At this point, if you're working for Trump for anything less than cash in advance, then you're a fucking idiot and you deserve to get screwed later.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Oh wow, what a big fucking surprise. Trump's team is now arguing he can't be charged because he wasn't impeached. Yet 4 years ago, the cowards in the GOP said they couldn't impeach him and it was up to the courts to take responsibility for punishing Trump.

Who could have guessed that these slimy fucks would do that? Everyone?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Also, if the court sides with Trump, and he gets impeached again, the GOP will use the exact same excuse and ignore this ruling entirely and not convict.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Taken to it's logical conclusion, this idea would basically posit that all the president must do to become a dictator is take out the whole Senate at once, or just have absolute loyalists in enough of the seats, or a combination of the two. If there's no Senate, the president can't be impeached and convicted, and if the president cant be held accountable for anything unless that happens, then they can illegally stop any new elections to get new senators with no consequences (or a new president for that matter) and act with impunity.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Murders all the way down.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Hmm sounds like the whole "balance of power in the 3 branches of government" is being completely ignored by this dumb lawyer.

The executive branch must be held accountable by more than just the Senate... Otherwise there might as well only be 2 branches of power and the justice system would fall under the umbrella of the executive branch.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It's also being ignored by SCOTUS, so... Doesn't seem the government cares about corruption what so ever.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 months ago

Then go on Biden. Do your thing Mr. King.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is basically trump arguing for the return of the Divine Right of Kings

[–] TacoThrash3r 17 points 11 months ago

We have a speaker of the house that said he was ordained by God to be Moses for Republicans sooo I guess you're not too far off

[–] [email protected] 29 points 11 months ago (2 children)

What kind of trash lawyer is this lmao. He got served a bait question and took it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm starting to think he's sharing lawyers with Alex Jones

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Anybody know where our buddy Bobby Barnes is?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Does Norm still have his trousers on?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Of course it’s a trash lawyer. Do you think a lawyer of any intelligence or repute would still be working for Trump?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago

Yeah because that's the sign of a healthy democracy... Red flag #47653.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If he has to be impeached and convicted by the Senate then his lawyers would argue that he can't be prosecuted afterward because of the double jeopardy clause. This would completely nullify the constitution and the United States of America would cease to exist as we know it. That's the Republican endgame.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Putting aside the whole Republican duplicity thing, I don't think this is double jeopardy.

Impeachment is, in essence, a political procedure to remove someone from office. There doesn't need to even be a crime (see Biden's impeachment for an example).

So assuming for a moment that a president was impeached, that trial is to remove him from office, not to try him for a crime.

And even then, impeachment trials are civil where there is no jeopardy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

My point is not about the merits of the argument

[–] eestileib 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I look forward to how SCOTUS Bush v Gore'ing this, granting Trump immunity, and saying "this is not a precedent".

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

Sounds like watering time to me. The tree of liberty is half dead.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

Not the flex they think it is...

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

Is this the lawyers way of saying "please kill my client Mr president".

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