Democrats and their special prosecutor, Jack Smith, have more or less claimed the fate of the republic remains in doubt as long as former President Donald Trump roams free.
Smith pushed hard to put Trump on trial next month in order to attempt to convict him before November’s election.
Yet the anti-Trump federal judge overseeing the case has paused the proceeding indefinitely, while higher courts sort out the legitimacy of Trump’s claim to immunity for his actions after the 2020 election, according to the Epoch Times.
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Politico confirmed this on Friday with a report that said U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, issued an order suspending the proceeding until at least mid-April.
The Times reported on Thursday that Chutkan essentially put Trump’s case on hold seven weeks ago, as little has happened since Trump’s lawyer and Smith argue over the immunity claim.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Smith’s highly unusual direct appeal for a rapid decision and sent the case back down for further review.
Against that backdrop, Chutkan formally nixed the original March 4 start date, which is a victory for the 2024 frontrunner.
Smith seeks to convict Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The prosecutor claims that Trump’s actions to deny the outcome of the race and promote the idea that Joe Biden stole the election eventually led to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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Trump has asserted his innocence of that, and also claimed that he is immune from prosecution because he acted in his official capacity as president.
Some legal scholars dispute Trump’s position.
Yet liberals are surely crushed by Chutkan’s decision to delay the trial.
As The New York Times reported on Friday, Trump’s lawyers have fought to push the start of the trial until after the election.
If they succeed, and Trump beats President Joe Biden, which current polls suggest would happen, Trump could then “order his attorney general to simply dismiss the charges,” the New York Times noted.
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“And even if the indictment were left in place, the proceedings against him could be frozen for as long as he is in office, under a longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president,” the NYT added.
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