Donald Trump slammed as he urges Supreme Court to reject Jack Smith’s bid for speedy 'immunity' review

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump has urged the United States Supreme Court to reject the request made by special counsel Jack Smith that his claim of immunity from criminal prosecution for his efforts to undermine the 2020 election be considered as early as possible.

The former POTUS' lawyers, cautioning the justices against being hasty, criticized Smith for taking extraordinary measures to maintain the March 4, 2024, trial date without providing an explanation of why it is so crucial to take the case to a jury just over two months from now.

Trump's lawyers argued, "In an omission that speaks volumes, the Special Counsel never explains why March 4, 2024, is supposedly the only ‘appropriate timetable’ for this historic prosecution. That date has no talismanic significance."

While the former president's lawyers attributed Smith's silence to his supposed partisan intent, another potential explanation is evident that if Trump wins in November and regains the White House, he would unquestionably direct the Justice Department to terminate the two pending federal criminal cases against him.

Furthermore, the longer his trial takes, the more likely it is that additional delays could cause it to extend beyond the election, according to Politico. 

Donald Trump's team dubs Jack Smith's reasoning for request 'vague and threadbare'

The legal submission filed by Trump's team refers to a range of conjectures in various media outlets, including CNN and the Wall Street Journal editorial pages.

Their argument posits that there is an urgency in prosecuting Trump before the 2024 presidential election, though Smith and his team have not acknowledged this as a driving factor.

In his team's filings, Smith has provided limited information about why he is expeditiously seeking to complete the trial next year. Instead, he has made general appeals to the "public interest" in a speedy trial.

The trial judge, Tanya Chutkan, has similarly emphasized the public urgency for a swift trial. She has described it as a restoration of the nation's criminal justice system that should be detached from concerns about the political calendar.

Yet, Smith's decision not to expand on the matter has enabled Trump to portray the motivation for a relatively quick trial as a transparent effort to undermine President Joe Biden's primary political rival.

Trump’s attorneys wrote, "The Special Counsel’s extraordinary request, combined with its vague, threadbare justification, creates the compelling appearance of a partisan motivation,"

They added, "To ensure that President Trump — the leading Republican candidate for President, and the greatest electoral threat to President Biden — will face a months-long criminal trial at the height of his presidential campaign."

In a 44-page filing, former President Trump's legal team urged the Supreme Court to permit the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to consider the immunity issue first.

The legal team argued that the appeals court has already set an expedited schedule to receive legal arguments on the matter, which may end up back at the Supreme Court within a few weeks.

His attorneys declared that moving faster by skipping the appeals court, as Smith has advocated, would amount to "reckless abandon."

Furthermore, the legal team contended that Smith had no authority to seek Supreme Court review in the first place, as Judge Chutkan ruled in Smith's favor, concluding that Trump is not immune from being charged with conspiring to derail the transfer of power.

In the event that the justices agree to hear the case, Trump's attorneys asked them not to consider solely his claim that his former office as president renders him immune from prosecution related to the events of January 6, 2021, but also his argument that he cannot be prosecuted because he was impeached and not convicted for the same or "closely related" conduct.

Donald Trump faces backlash for urging the Supreme Court to reject Jack Smith's request

Soon after Trump's move against Smith's request came to light, netizens didn't waste time to slam the ex-POTUS. 

One remarked, "Trump rages, Smith boxes, SCOTUS decides," while another noted, "Why should they? The American people have waited long enough."

A person wrote, "Of course he is! Guilty people don’t want to go to trial!" 

Someone else added, "Whatever Trump does he is a loser..a loser..he lost everything in 2020 and he must withdraw and keep what is left of his money."

"But demands a speedy review of his 14th amendment judgment in Colorado. No delays for me but not thee," pointed out an individual. 

"'I want to slow down me proving my innocence!'" quipped one more. 

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