Special counsel Jack Smith urges appeals court to reject Trump's claim of "presidential immunity"
CBSN
Washington, D.C. — Special Counsel Jack Smith pressed his case that former President Donald Trump does not enjoy the protections of "presidential immunity" in the 2020 election conspiracy criminal case in an 82-page court document filed Saturday afternoon in D.C.'s federal court of appeals.
Smith's filing comes one day after an appeals court allowed a lawsuit brought by a group of U.S. Capitol Police officers against Trump to move forward, ruling Trump is not entitled to absolute immunity from civil lawsuits. The suit focuses on Trump's alleged conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Smith's latest filing comes ahead of scheduled oral arguments on the matter at the Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit on Jan. 9, 2024. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, ruled Trump cannot be shielded from federal prosecution for crimes allegedly committed while he was in the White House.
