by Kwon Haeyoung
Published 07 Feb.2024 00:39(KST)
Updated 07 Feb.2024 00:51(KST)
The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the 6th (local time) that it does not recognize immunity for former President Donald Trump's charges related to 'overturning the election results.'
The panel of the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. unanimously ruled that former President Trump does not have immunity from prosecution for criminal charges related to crimes committed during his term to overturn the 2020 election results.
The court stated, "In this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump (not the former president)," and "the executive immunity that might have protected him while he was president no longer protects him from prosecution."
Currently, former President Trump is accused of inciting supporters to riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat. Special Counsel Jack Smith of the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Trump on charges of overturning the election results. Trump claimed immunity, but the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. dismissed his claim. He appealed to the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C., but the higher court also rejected Trump's claim.
Former President Trump is expected to immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in response to this ruling.
Bloomberg News reported, "Trump, the leading Republican presidential nominee, could become the first major party candidate to stand trial for criminal conduct during a presidential campaign."
Although former President Trump leads President Biden in the polls, the 'judicial risk' remains a significant variable.
A recent survey conducted at the end of last month by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult targeting voters in seven battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) found that 53% of respondents said they would not vote for former President Trump if he were convicted. Additionally, 23% of Republican supporters said they would not vote for Trump.
Currently, former President Trump has been criminally indicted four times on 91 charges, including overturning the election results.
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