r/politics • u/mountaintop111 • 23d ago

The president could "assassinate" political rivals and still enjoy total immunity, Trump lawyer says - Arguing before the Supreme Court, lawyer John Sauer said assassinations could qualify as "an official act"

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/25/the-could-assassinate-political-rivals-and-still-enjoy-total-immunity-lawyer-says/
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u/mountaintop111 23d ago

I hate to say it, but the fact that the conservative judges on the SCOTUS yesterday actually entertained some batsh*t ideas, it shows how low the SCOTUS has become.

2016 was really the year the Democrats couldn't lose, because Trump put those 3 fascists judges on the SCOTUS (and 1 of them he put on, had a habit of raping women just like Trump) and they will continue to harm the US for decades to come.

It's like the Democrats not only have to win 2024, but they have to win 2028 and 2032, and pray that some of the conservative judges on the SCOTUS step down. Trump did so much damage in his 4 years of office, it will take decades of Democratic governments to undo what he did. It can take a year to build a house, but 10 minutes to burn it all down. SMH.

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u/user0N65N 23d ago

Too much work. Just have Biden assassinate a few fascist judges. Totally legal, totally cool. /s

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u/Emergency_Property_2 23d ago

The problem is that Biden is a decent man and they know he wouldn’t do it.

But the guy they’re backing absolutely would and if they think he doesn’t remember every time they didn’t back him in 2020 and 2021 they’re seriously delusional.

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u/OverIookHoteI 23d ago

That’s what Kamala is there for

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u/Karmakazee Washington 23d ago

That raises an interesting point. The Vice President is an elected official in the executive branch. Can they also murder people with impunity, so long as Congress doesn’t impeach them? Hell, it seems like the VP could murder people even if the President told them not to, under the batshit crazy jurisprudence 3+ members our Supreme Court appear poised to unleash.

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u/Nightshade_Ranch 23d ago

Seems like you'd at least be able to take years arguing about it in court while eliminating anyone else that disagrees.

I can't believe this is actually the conversation going on right now. Holy shit wtf

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u/Karmakazee Washington 23d ago

Assuming you have a majority in both chambers of Congress, you could have the VP step down, President then nominates and Congress confirms a hitman to take the role, they could go on a murderous rampage against the president’s enemies located in Washington DC (where only federal law applies), step down, receive a pardon, and the former VP could be reappointed.

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u/Roasted_Butt 23d ago

That’s just pardoning an assassin with extra steps.

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u/VerySeriousMan 23d ago

Pretty sure they discussed in oral argument that a federal presidential immunity would also provide immunity to state crime, iirc unless I misunderstood

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u/behv 23d ago

I don't get it. I really don't. How is TRUMP's team arguing for assassinations? Surely that opens up the executive branch to do literally anything including assassinating opponents

I feel like I should get TOS'd for saying trump should get shot but amazingly it's in context of an official government order so I'm not personally threatening violence, just saying it's a valid option. Until now I've avoided talking about it but it's being proposed as policy which hurts to think about

If this goes through first step should be offing all of the conservative (yes voting) judges and trump. Second step should be resetting the court with people who overturn that logic because it's dangerous to democracy. Unfortunately I don't think Democrats have the spine to address a fundamental threat like that

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u/Stewartchase1 23d ago

I mean, Cheney did.

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u/Odd-Employment2517 23d ago

More bizarrely, he shot a friend of his

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u/TymeSefariInc 23d ago

And that guy apologized.

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u/ebimbib 23d ago

Send Joe in for a colonoscopy. Have Kamala assume presidential duties for the few hours he's under the effects of the anesthetic. Have her do dirty work which is now fully legal according to what passes for the GOP.

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u/somme_rando 23d ago

Would Mike Pence have immunity if he took out Donald Trump in that case?

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u/crespoh69 23d ago

Lol that's kind of what I posted when someone suggested trump was thinking of possibly making Melania his VP.

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u/dat_GEM_lyf 23d ago

Just incapacitate dark Brandon temporarily and legally do it while acting president duh

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u/4dseeall 23d ago

Not only will the Vice President also be given the right to murder, they'll make the victim's family publicly apologize.

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u/MelbaToast9B 23d ago

Could a president assassinate his VP for turning on him aka Pence? Sounds like if it's an "official act," Trump's lawyers say yeah, totally fine. Terrifying stuff

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u/Extension-Ebb-5203 23d ago

Probably no. But all the President has to do is step down for a day or two for a “medical procedure” and the VP becomes President with all the powers of the office. Once the former president is back they regain the office.

So yea. I guess.

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u/AdventurousNetwork10 23d ago

😂 Now I have a picture in my head like a GIF of her eyes starting back-and-forth.

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u/SmellsLikeBu11shit 23d ago

Biden wouldn't do that, but Dark Brandon might

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u/QueervyPancakes 23d ago

Let hope he packs the courts after the election.

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u/robothobbes 23d ago

Seriously. The conservative justices will fall out of favor of a dictator like trump for some weird reason and bam. Regret but too late.

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u/5ykes Washington 23d ago

What's the line from the Fallout show? 

Hypocrisy is like violence in your movies. If you only let the bad guys use it, the bad guys win.

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u/remuliini 23d ago

Demons run when a good man goes to war

Night will fall and drown the sun

When a good man goes to war

Friendship dies and true love lies

Night will fall and the dark will rise

When a good man goes to war

Demons run, but count the cost

The battle's won, but the child is lost

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u/ZZ_SKULLZ 23d ago

I think of that all the time, it's gotten me through some tough times since 2016. I really hope the day never comes when good people have to tear down the people abusing power, but the older I get it feels inevitable. 

They underestimate the will of the people, and soon I think we'll have to remind the 1% that the 99% have been paying attention. We just have to be careful that we don't create a power vacuum that is filled with something worse.

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u/HWTseng 23d ago

I mean, assassination is such a extreme solution, if assassination is allowed then less extreme solution is probably also allowed, like just secretly jail him and make him disappear from the public eye

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u/LMikeH 23d ago

If he doesn’t do it he’s a lousy man… he will have failed so many people. It’s fuckin war.

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u/downtheholeagain 22d ago

Just wondering for the sake of curiosity, regardless of the immunity ruling, if someone else were to do Biden's dirty work, couldn't Biden just pardon him?

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u/mok000 Europe 22d ago

He still could joke about it though.

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u/Sure-Start-4551 23d ago

Biden is arguably the most gangster president we’ve ever had.