A federal court in Washington D.C. said Monday that former United States President Donald Trump is not protected by presidential immunity from a lawsuit over his attempts to undermine the results of the 2020 election.
Federal judge Emmet Sullivan rejected the arguments of the president’s defense in which they said Trump is “absolutely immune” from damages for actions tangential to his “official responsibility” of him.
“It has been widely recognized that political activity necessarily falls outside of the official duties of a president,” the judge wrote in the court document.
The lawsuit, filed in November 2020 by civil rights organizations, accuses Trump and the Republican National Committee of conspiring to restrict voting by intimidating election officials to ensure the former president remains in power “despite having lost the elections.”
The plaintiffs, who represent voters in several key states including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, allege they are suing Trump for actions he committed as a candidate and not as president.
This case in the District of Columbia is part of the dozens of lawsuits against the former Republican president, who has already announced his intention to run as a candidate in 2024.
On Nov. 18, the US Attorney General appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Trump for his possible involvement in the assault on the Capitol and for classified documents found at his Florida residence.
It is the second time Trump has been subjected to an investigation of this type since in 2017, former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. EFE
via gopusa