Tuesday, July 02, 2024 - US President, Joe Biden has described the Supreme Court's immunity decision as 'dangerous' and said it would embolden former President Donald Trump if the Republican is reelected.
Biden made the statement at the White House's Cross Hall on
Monday night.
He warned that the conservative-leaning court 'fundamentally
changed' a bedrock principle of the nation and pushed the American people to
reject Trump in November at the ballot box.
'This nation was founded on the principle that there are no
kings in America,' Biden said.
'Today's decision almost certainly means that there are
virtually no limits on what a president can do,' he continued. 'This is a
fundamentally new principle and it's a dangerous precedent.'
'The only limits will be self-imposed by the president
alone,' he warned.
The Court's 6-3 ruling practically insured that Trump
wouldn't face another trial before the November election after being
convicted in New York on 34 counts of business fraud related to hush money
payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
The sentencing for that case comes next week.
The decision grants Trump partial criminal immunity on
actions he took as president while attempting to overturn the 2020 result -
including on January 6, putting in peril Special Counsel Jack Smith's
election interference case.
Additionally, the election interference case in Georgia has
been paused, as has the federal classified documents case based
in Florida, also being handled by Smith.
Biden called the Supreme Court's decision a continued
'attack' on 'wide range of long established legal principles,' pointing to the
reversal of Roe v. Wade and controversial decisions on civil and voting rights.
'Only four years ago, my predecessor sent a violent mob to
the U.S. Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. We all saw it with our
own eyes. We sat there and watched it happen that day,' Biden said.
'Attack on the police. The ransacking of the capitol. The
mob hunting down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Gallows erected to hang the vice
president, Mike Pence,' he continued. 'I think it's fair to say it was one of
the darkest days in the history of America.'
Biden pointed to Trump's federal election interference court
case.
'The American people deserve to have an answer in the courts
before the upcoming election,' he argued. 'Now because of today's decision that
is highly, highly unlikely.'
'It's a terrible disservice for the people of this nation,'
he said. 'So now, now the American people will have to do what the courts
should have been willing to do, but will not - the American people will have to
render a judgment about Donald Trump's behavior.'
'The American people must decide whether Donald Trump's
assault on our democracy on January 6 makes him unfit for public office - the
highest office in the land. The American people must decide if Trump's
embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable,' Biden said.
'Perhaps, most importantly, the American people must decide
if they want to entrust the president - the presidency to Donald Trump, now
knowing he'll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he
wants to do it,' the Democrat warned.
The 81-year-old president pointed to the example set by the
nation's first president - George Washington.
'He believed power was limited, not absolute. And that power
always resides with the people, always,' Biden said. 'Now we're 200 years
later, today's Supreme Court decision, once again it will depend on the
character of the men and women who hold that presidency that are going to
define the limits of the power of the presidency, because the law will no
longer do it.'
'I know I will respect the limits of the presidential powers
I have for three and a half years,' Biden said. 'But any president including
Donald Trump will now be free to ignore the law.'
Biden said he agreed with liberal Justice Sonia
Sotomayor. 'In every use of official power, the president is now a king
above law. With fear for our democracy, I dissent,' he said, quoting
Sotomayor.
'So should the American people dissent,' Biden said. 'I
dissent.'
The decision marks a big win for Trump, who's already been
taking a victory lap after Thursday night's CNN debate.
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