Internet accuses Trump of ‘intimidating’ SC as his lawyers appeal to get ex-POTUS back on Colorado ballot

WASHINGTON, DC: Attorneys representing the former US President, Donald Trump, filed a Supreme Court appeal on Thursday, January 18, in an attempt to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's decision that barred him from appearing on the state's ballot.

The appeal argues that the former president did not engage in any actions qualifying as an insurrection and cannot be held accountable for the actions of others, specifically those individuals who breached the US Capitol building and engaged in violent confrontations with Capitol police.

In their filing, Trump's lawyers cited his tweets on the day of the insurrection, which urged his supporters to remain “peaceful”.

They also challenged the interpretation of Section 3 of the post-Civil War 14th Amendment, which a group of state voters used to sue and remove Trump from the ballot, per a report by DailyMail.

Trump's legal team comprising of six lawyers argued, “Even if President Trump were subject to section 3, he did not ‘engage in’ anything that qualifies as ‘insurrection’.”

Furthermore, Trump's lawyers maintained that the 14th Amendment does not explicitly mention the presidency but, instead, identifies lower-ranking officials who engaged in acts of “insurrection” or provided “aid and comfort” to the enemy.

As such, they argued that Trump does not fall within the definition of an "officer" of the court under the 14th Amendment.

What did lawyers for the plaintiffs say?

Lawyers for the plaintiffs dismissed that argument, claiming that an amendment that applies to a low-level military officer would also apply to the President of the United States.

The district court determined that Trump “engaged in insurrection” and cited his January 6 speech, in which he exhorted followers to “fight like hell” after repeatedly claiming the election had been stolen before a mob took the Capitol.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has charged Trump with conspiracy to meddle in an official proceeding and violating people's civil rights, but he has not been convicted of insurrection or charged with that exact crime.

Trump's lawyers argued, “'The Colorado Supreme Court tried to impute the conduct of others to President Trump.”

However, they argue the claimants need to establish that Trump's own conduct was an insurrection, “and they cannot make that showing when President Trump never participated in or directed any of the illegal conduct that occurred at the Capitol on January 6, 2021".

They stated, “President Trump never told his supporters to enter the Capitol, and he did not lead, direct, or encourage any of the unlawful acts that occurred at the Capitol—either in his speech at the Ellipse46 or in any of his statements or communications before or during the events of January 6, 2021.”

They also reference his tweets asking people to “remain peaceful,” despite the fact that the House January 6 Committee heard testimony from top Trump aides who were lobbying Trump to publicly urge people to “stay calm” while the unrest unfolded.

Trump’s lawyers wrote, “The Colorado Supreme Court faulted President Trump for (in its view) failing to respond with alacrity when he learned that the Capitol had been breached,49 but even if that were true (and it isn’t), a mere failure to act would not constitute ‘engagement’ in insurrection, as even the Colorado Supreme Court recognized.”

They also asserted that Trump was not armed, did not rush the Capitol, and did not threaten violence, although some people among those present that day, did.

The attorneys also raise points that the conservative, 6-3 court is sure to consider, namely whether the Colorado decision would allow a patchwork of state decisions to take precedence over national requirements.

The brief was filed by Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, a former vice chair of the California Republican Party, and three lawyers from her firm: David Warrington, Jonathan Shaw, and Gary Lawkowski, as well as Texas lawyer Jonathan Mitchell and Colorado lawyer Scott Gessler.

Internet slams Trump's lawyers for coming up with ridiculous arguments

People on Facebook commented on the filings submitted to the US Supreme Court by Trump's legal team regarding the former President's involvement in the January 6 uprising that saw the Capitol building getting stormed in 2021.

One user remarked: "Him and his little weekend warriors aren’t gonna do anything but bleed there."

Another user commented: "He is the definition of chaos."

Another user wrote: "This is reason enough to keep him off the ballot."

One user stated: "He’s basically trying to intimidate the Supreme Court into ruling in his favor. They’d be dumb though to do so unless they too believe they are not an equal branch of government. Trumps whole plan is to make the executive branch more powerful than the other two branches. If the Supreme Court continues to coddle him, years from now the judicial branch will be a tool for the executive branch to use."

Another user noted: "This old hateful white man is going to threaten judge's for the crimes he committed. Trump committed crimes before he ran for office and during his time and continued after he was no longer president. America deserves so much more than Trump."

Finally, this user commented: "America the great! Mmm nope ! America the corrupted."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.