After a second major blow in less than a week, panicked Democrats are stuck with a politically crippled presidential candidate and now can no longer try Republican Donald Trump before the election thanks to the Supreme Court.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith’s case against Trump has been so weakened by the high court it might as well have a hole blown through the middle.
And unless Democrats are able to replace Joe Biden, their election hopes are fading fast.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts in office has severely raised the bar for prosecuting Trump for allegedly trying to interfere with the 2020 election.
“The president is not above the law,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “but Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the executive branch under the Constitution.”
Smith’s office would not comment on the decision on Monday.
Democrats appear disappointed not because of the historical precedent the court set but because they can’t try Trump now. The reaction shows how blatantly political the case is against the former Republican president.
What’s the rush to try him before November?
In lieu of trying Trump, Dems are now talking about the special prosecutor putting out evidence before the election just to try and weaken Trump politically – even though the high court ruled that evidence for which Trump is immune can’t be admitted.
“This is a big win for our Constitution and for our democracy,” Trump said. “Now I am free to campaign like anyone else.”
Democrats bitterly assailed the Supreme Court ruling, with one leading liberal actually vowing to launch impeachment proceedings against at least one of the justices who ruled in the majority.
“Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture,” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced.
And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats “will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity” against the Supreme Court. Other Democrats rolled out the tried and true tactic of expanding the court and passing term limits, which is not going to happen.
If Smith persists in pursuing the case, it will show how political the entire prosecution has been.
Is Smith really an independent prosecutor or just a tool of the Democratic machine?
The court ruling’s impact on the race comes just days after Biden’s dismal debate performance left the Democratic Party rattled and talking about finding a new candidate.
The question is, if Biden is not competent to run for president, how can he be competent to serve in office?
Should a president with cognitive deficiencies have his hand on the nuclear button?
With even liberal editorial boards calling on Biden to drop his campaign, Democrats for now are publicly at least resisting launching an effort to get Biden out.
They are either stuck with him in a doomed campaign or will have to acknowledge reality and awkwardly send him packing.
