Immunity must hold good even if president ‘crosses line’, says Trump

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Donald Trump on Thursday said his claim of “total” presidential immunity against criminal prosecution should extend even if his actions “cross the line.”

Trump is running for a White House comeback in November while simultaneously fighting 91 criminal charges in four separate cases that include allegedly seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss and hoarding top secret documents at his golf resorts.

In a social media post sent at about 2am, Trump argued that as president he enjoyed complete immunity from prosecution — and he urged the Supreme Court to rule in his favor.

“EVEN EVENTS THAT ‘CROSS THE LINE’ MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website, using his customary all-caps style throughout the statement.

Trump suggested that US presidents need immunity to be able to make hard decisions and that this need outweighs the danger from presidents who break the rules.

The Republican likened the situation to the police, who must keep working despite the “occasional ‘rogue cop.’” “Sometimes,” wrote Trump, “You just have to live with ‘great but slightly imperfect.’” He said the Supreme Court, which has tilted to the right since Trump appointed three new justices during his presidency, would have an “easy decision.”

A federal appeals court in Washington is currently considering Trump’s claim to immunity against prosecution over his role in efforts to change the results of the 2020 election, in which Democrat Joe Biden defeated the incumbent Republican.

If Trump’s appeal is denied, as expected by most legal experts, the case will likely go for a final decision before the Supreme Court.

Carroll resumes trial testimony

The writer who accused Donald Trump of shattering her reputation by denying he assaulted her nearly three decades ago resumed testifying on Thursday at a civil trial to determine how much the former US president owes in damages.

E. Jean Carroll, 80, a former Elle magazine advice columnist, testified on Wednesday that Trump’s lies destroyed her reputation for telling the truth and exposed her to online attacks that persist. She was expected to complete her testimony on Thursday.

Carroll is facing additional questioning from Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers, in federal court in Manhattan before US District Judge Lewis Kaplan.

Others expected to testify at the trial include a former Elle editor-in-chief and a Northwestern University professor who may help jurors quantify how much Trump should pay. Trump, 77, has said he wants to testify, and could do so next week.

Unlike on Wednesday, Trump was not in court on Thursday. He has said he wanted to skip Thursday’s trial session to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral in Florida.