2020 - S05E09 - I’m Rubber, And You’re Glue

Former President Donald Trump made a rare Tuesday appearance in a courtroom in Washington, D.C., for a make-or-break moment in his federal election interference case. In arguments that extended for more than an hour, three judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit pressed Trump’s attorney on his sweeping claims of immunity from federal prosecution. Trump attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche have asserted that those charges are based on official actions Trump took while he was president — and that Trump was simply raising questions about the integrity of the election. They also argue that because Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, but not convicted by the U.S. Senate, for his behavior around the Capitol riot, to prosecute him now would violate the principle against double jeopardy. James Pearce, representing the Special Counsel, argued Tuesday that “the president has a unique constitutional role, but he is not above the law.” He added that a former president enjoys no immunity from criminal prosecution. To conclude otherwise, he said, would give rise to a “frightening” future. No former president has ever been charged with a crime. Trump is the first. So an eventual ruling will be a landmark no matter which way the court rules. If the court sides with Trump, the federal case in Washington would be all but over. - TV-MA, 63 mins

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