US President Joe Biden has described a Supreme Court ruling giving his predecessor Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution as a “dangerous precedent”.
Biden said the judgement undermined the “rule of law” and was “a terrible disservice” to Americans after Trump hailed the court’s decision as a “big win” for democracy on Monday. The court earlier in the day found that a president had immunity for “official acts” but was not immune for “unofficial acts”, and referred the matter back to a trial judge. The judgement will further delay the criminal case against Trump for allegedly trying to subvert the 2020 election result that gave victory to Biden, a BBC report said. The trial judge must now determine which actions were carried out in Trump’s capacity as president, which could take months. Any trial is unlikely to start before November’s presidential election, the report explained. In a televised statement late Monday, President Biden said: “This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States. “Today’s (court) decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president may do. “The man who sent that mob to the US Capitol is facing potential criminal conviction for what happened that day. The American people deserve to have an answer in the courts before the upcoming election.” Biden referring to Trump being on trial for his alleged role in stirring up the riot, said: “Now, because of today’s [court] decision, that is highly, highly unlikely.” Trump is accused in his indictment of pressuring DoJ officials to launch investigations into voter fraud despite a lack of evidence. The BBC report said that three liberal justices on the Supreme Court strongly dissented from Monday’s decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said: “The president is now a king above the law.” The court’s six-three ruling will significantly delay any trial – if it is ever to go ahead – until well after the November election, the report added.
