In a significant development for former President Donald Trump, a federal appeals court has ruled that he does not have presidential immunity in the case related to the January 6 Capitol riot and the 2020 election.
The ruling was made by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
According to NBC News, the judges unanimously rejected Trump's claim of presidential immunity. The court stated that there was no basis for Trump's argument and that he should be treated like any other criminal defendant. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
The judges wrote in their ruling, as reported by CNBC, that "for the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant." They further emphasized that any executive immunity that may have protected him while he was in office no longer applies to this prosecution.
The case, brought forth by Biden special counsel Jack Smith, has faced several delays. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, officially suspended the trial's start date of March 4. The trial was put on hold in December pending an appeal of Chutkan's ruling against Trump's motion to dismiss the case based on claims of presidential immunity.
In December, the Supreme Court declined to fast-track the immunity claim case while the appeals court reviewed it.
Trump, anticipating the ruling, took to Truth Social, his newly launched social media platform, on Monday night. He posted, "If immunity is not granted to a President, every President that leaves office will be immediately indicted by the opposing party."
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