this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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Former President Trump’s legal team suggested Tuesday that even a president directing SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent would be an action barred from prosecution given a former executive’s broad immunity to criminal prosecution.

The hypothetical was presented to Trump attorney John Sauer who answered with a “qualified yes” that a former president would be immune from prosecution on that matter or even on selling pardons.

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[–] WHYAREWEALLCAPS@kbin.social 199 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Sauer later argued the threat of prosecution could have a chilling effect on future presidents’ decisions, saying they would need to look over their shoulder and ask, “Am I going to jail for this?” when making controversial decisions.

That's exactly the fucking point, you chode! The president should be weighing that consequence.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 85 points 10 months ago

Reminds me of this:

My suggestion was quite simple: Put that needed code number [to launch a nuclear weapon] in a little capsule, and then implant that capsule right next to the heart of a volunteer. The volunteer would carry with him a big, heavy butcher knife as he accompanied the President. If ever the President wanted to fire nuclear weapons, the only way he could do so would be for him first, with his own hands, to kill one human being. The President says, "George, I'm sorry but tens of millions must die." He has to look at someone and realize what death is—what an innocent death is. Blood on the White House carpet. It's reality brought home.

When I suggested this to friends in the Pentagon they said, "My God, that's terrible. Having to kill someone would distort the President's judgment. He might never push the button."

— Roger Fisher, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 1981

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 49 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They literally don't know the difference between presidents and kings

[–] ferralcat@monyet.cc 23 points 10 months ago

To be fair, the supreme court has made the same argument when granting themselves absolute immunity. But it was just as stupid then (and still theoretically only applies when executing their job).

"We could never do anything if we had to worry about lawsuits all the time" yes, that's how life works for everyone who makes decisions.

[–] bazus1@lemmy.world 26 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I saw that line, buried at the end of the article, and shouted at the screen, "Yeah, you fuckin' should!" I want to live in the world where the president is terrified of the consequences of his or her actions.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

I want to live in a world where every cop, lawyer and CEO also lives with that same fear.

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[–] A_A@lemmy.world 142 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Trump argue Biden should assassinate him

[–] minnow@lemmy.world 80 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Congress would impeach Biden SO FAST so he could then be prosecuted.

... Unless Biden also made it impossible for Congress to meet to impeach him. Which is obviously against the Constitution, but there's nothing to be done about it as long as Congress can't impeach him.

Checkmate, fascists.

... wait

[–] TechyDad@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No, see if Biden wants to be impeachment proof, he just needs to arrange for a "group trip" for all Congressional Republicans to "a nice farm upstate." He can be generous and include tickets for the conservative Supreme Court justices.

Biden would never do this and I wouldn't want him to, but Trump is arguing that this would be 100% legal.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Also if assassination of a political rival is legal unless the congress votes to impeach, what prevents the president from also assassinating a few congressmen in order to not get impeached ?

[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago

what prevents the president from also assassinating a few congressmen in order to not get impeached

That's the plan. Assassinate ALL rivals and all threats. It's just a step up from suing people for him.

[–] Neato@ttrpg.network 41 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yep. All his political rivals. What an insane thing to say when you aren't president.

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago

So either Trump wins here and gets assassinated or he loses and has to stand trial lol

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[–] DevCat@lemmy.world 98 points 10 months ago (3 children)

They are making this argument, knowing the logical consequences. They are also counting on Biden being an actual human being instead of the steaming pile their client is.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 60 points 10 months ago (5 children)

They are also praying to their god that the Appellate Court has no knowledge of the "color of office" argument. Assassinations of US citizens is most definitely beyond the scope of presidential duties, and to accept otherwise is to accept that the president is a king.

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[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 24 points 10 months ago (6 children)

I often wonder if Trump's counsel is undermining him on purpose, or just going with the hand they were played.

[–] modifier@lemmy.ca 25 points 10 months ago (2 children)

They could lose their licenses for undermining their client. It's more likely that it's what it looks like on the tin: incompetence and evil.

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[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They're trying to delay the trials until after the election hoping he will win and just pardon himself.

And honestly, it's not the Jan 6th Trial they're really worried about - it's the documents case. They have so, so much evidence that he knowingly, intentionally lied about having documents and tried hiding them from the government. There's absolutely no deniability there.

If he loses in November he's toast, and they all know it.

[–] Ranvier@sopuli.xyz 12 points 10 months ago (3 children)

And many of the document crimes occured after he left office. So they don't have even have these bull crap presidential immunity arguments.

"Former presidents are also immune from any prosecution and allowed to carry out assassinations of political rivals after leaving office"

  • Trump's lawyers, probably
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[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 10 points 10 months ago

Might as well get the guillotines ready anyway.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 71 points 10 months ago (11 children)

Okay, Joe. You know what to do.

[–] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago

Biden: If the Supreme Court agrees, take the shot.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

He's known for a long time. But corporate Democrats only play hardball against progressives.

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[–] BaddDadd@lemmy.world 62 points 10 months ago (18 children)

Ask him if that means Biden can assassinate Trump. Then remind him of the concept of estoppel. Then Biden comes to their first presidential debate and places a .44 Magnum handgun on the podium, to see if Trump runs away like the little bitch he is.

[–] gregorum@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago

“If Biden weren’t so weak, he’d assassinate me” is what he’s saying.

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[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 45 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Every alarm is going off, people. They are telling everyone exactly what they intend to do.

[–] Toribor@corndog.social 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

People just think Trump is a jokester.

I think it's the dangerous side-effect of him being such a fake reality TV personality. He can say over the top insane things and people are already trained to not take him too seriously.

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[–] alex_02@infosec.pub 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Project 2025. https://www.project2025.org/ and there is a lot more.

Fuck this Nazi and wannabe hitler 2.0

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[–] Clbull@lemmy.world 40 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I have nothing else to say to this man. This is one of those times where all the people outright calling him a Nazi were 100% correct.

Now I'm worried that he's gonna turn the Navy SEALs into the modern day Gestapo.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The SEALs won't put up with that shit. They have the same ability to tell their CO, "nope, that's an unlawful order," that the Nukes do. Difference is that the CO isn't gonna try to force the SEAL to do shit.

[–] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (5 children)

Unless im mistaken every US soldier not only has the ability but the duty to refuse unlawful orders. 'Just following orders' is not acceptable in reducing any amount of personal fault iirc.

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[–] frezik@midwest.social 39 points 9 months ago (1 children)

A week ago, we were half jokingly saying that if their arguments were valid, Biden could straight up shoot Trump at the first debate, say "Presidential Immunity, fucker", and walk off the stage. The judge then asks a Trump lawyer about a similar hypothetical, and the idiot actually says yeah, that's fine.

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[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 37 points 9 months ago (2 children)

A bold claim for the obnoxious rival of the president, but okay bet.

[–] books@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Right. This is seriously the only thing I thought of.

Like you are arguing it's ok for the sitting president to murder his opponent.

You are not the sitting president. You are the current opponent.

Seems like a fucking weird taunt.

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[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 32 points 10 months ago

But somehow charging trump is election interference 🙄

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 31 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

He argues so much strength from a position of exceptional weakness. Well done

This is literally a Satan v. Goliath story

[–] MrJameGumb@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago (3 children)

He'll go on record saying it was "just a joke" and all his smug braindead followers will claim his sense of humor is too refined for us to understand properly. This really is the timeline where Biff Tannen won...

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 13 points 10 months ago (6 children)

And then about 4 days later, he /will be assassinated/, and then all the chuds will switch to 'We were joking about joking about it, moron!', just as we have watched essentially the vast majority of chuds essentially joke about Nazis so hard, for so long, that they simply became them.

I hate this idiots, for one they have no concept of humor or what being funny entails, for two, uh, they are Nazis.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 19 points 10 months ago

Please be the onion

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The first thing I thought was, welp let's just kill this pos and see if it's true that the King(since we are heading that way) is immune from prosecution.

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[–] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The scary part of all these kinds of arguments are that if they were somehow successful and got a court to uphold this as valid/law, imagine the next sweet talking purely evil piece of shit having power cart blanch, anything goes. These "religious" assholes alone could probably think of stuff that would make Hitler blush.

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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 10 points 10 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The hypothetical was presented to Trump attorney John Sauer who answered with a “qualified yes” that a former president would be immune from prosecution on that matter or even on selling pardons.

In the hearing that reviewed a motion from Trump’s team to toss his election interference charges, Sauer argued that presidents can only be criminally prosecuted if they have already been tried and convicted by the Senate.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at a Washington hotel, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, after attending a hearing before the D.C.

Judge Michelle Childs, a Biden appointee, noted that a president could resign rather than face impeachment, something that under the framework of Trump’s attorneys would allow them to dodge future prosecution.

James Pearce, a lawyer with Smith’s office, forcefully pushed back against the notion that mechanisms to hold presidents accountable for criminal actions should be weakened.

“What kind of world are we living in … if a president orders his SEAL team to murder a political rival and then resigns or is not impeached — that is not a crime?


The original article contains 410 words, the summary contains 181 words. Saved 56%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Remember when the maga clowns' favourite insult for Obama was "King Obama" because of some perceived presidential overreach issues? If they had any moral integrity, pointing out these double standards would make them think.

[–] Coach@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

I mean...bet.

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