Trump in court for hearing on ‘absolute immunity’ claim • FRANCE 24 English

Donald Trump is back in a federal courthouse this Tuesday to argue that as a former US president he should be immune from prosecution on charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election the 77-year-old arrived in a motorade to attend the appeals court hearing today just blocks away from the

US capital where supporters stormed on January the 6th 2021 to try and disrupt the Democratic transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden well covering the hearing is our Washington correspondent Fraser Jackson he’s with me now from the couse Fraser just tell us what’s been happening in the room so

Far well things opened with Donald Trump’s lawyer who argued that Donald Trump should be above prosecution for things that happened during his time in office he said quote to authorized the prosecution of a president for official acts would open a Pandora’s box from which this nation may never recover he

Also uh said that it could result in former president being prosecuted for giving quote false information to Congress uh to enter a war now um they also are arguing Trump’s legal team that Trump can only be convicted uh if he um had been found guilty uh by the Senate

And impeached uh of course Donald Trump was only found guilty by the house and was acquitted uh by the Senate things got heated at times when cross-examination started with the uh the three judges sitting um they um some point called some of Trump’s lawyers arguments quote paradoxical um the

Lawyer also was given hypothetical situations by the judges who said uh would the uh president be able to be prosecuted had he given military Secrets or had he uh ordered a assassination of one of his political opponents as well after about 30 minutes Trump’s lawyer uh

Seemed to want to get off of the stand asking quote are there any more questions uh but another came his way and 10 minutes later he finally stepped down before the uh government lawyer then took the stand and was given the same cross-examination as well now this

Ruing could set a massive precedent it could say whether a president is immune from Criminal prosecution uh for things that happen during their time in office and of course Donald Trump himself doesn’t need to be here this is uh not the kind of hearing that a defendant

Normally uh attends but it is something that he is hoping to fund raise off of Donald Trump’s two biggest fundraising days so far have been after his appearance at the courthouse in Manhattan and then again uh after he was booked for uh the uh crimes in Georgia

That Alle are alleged there uh during which his mug shop was taken look Fraser this has just got underway where you are in Washington but do you have a sense yet of what the likely outcome of this is going to be well things wrapped up pretty quickly

Here within an hour uh it was all over but we are now waiting for the Judgment which could take a couple of days or a couple of weeks one thing we do know is that it is in uh the government’s interest for this to be wrapped up and

Indeed special Council Jack Smith has been asking uh for this to be expedited so that he can stick to his beginning of March uh schedule that he wants this trial to begin with whichever way this goes it’s likely to end up with the Supreme Court now Donald Trump’s uh

Lawyers have already said they will appeal if it doesn’t go their way but the Supreme Court will have to decide whether they want to hear the case and even then they will then need to expedite it once again uh if it is to start this trial on time so that is

Really hanging in the balance here the Donald Trump’s uh legal team is hoping that it will get pushed past that March start date and potentially even past November hoping that if he wins the election uh then it could be staved off altogether Trump on Monday suggesting

That if he did win that election that Joe Biden himself could be in for an indictment he said quote if I don’t get immunity then crooked Biden doesn’t get immunity Joe would be ripe for indictment

Donald Trump arrived in a Washington court Tuesday to argue that as a former US president he should be immune from prosecution on charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.
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