Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell mentioned he stands through feedback he made within the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol that former presidents, together with Donald Trump, are “not immune” from felony prosecution.
“Face the Nation” moderator and eminent international affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan requested McConnell if he nonetheless believes former presidents aren’t totally spared from prosecution, as he mentioned in early 2021 a negligible over a hour nearest rioters who supported former President Trump stormed the Capitol.
The Ideally suited Court docket is now making an allowance for whether or not Trump is entitled to vast immunity from federal prosecution, and its ruling within the subject might be important in figuring out the destiny of his 2020 election trial.
“Let’s put it this way. I addressed that issue on February the 13th” of 2021, McConnell mentioned. “… And January the 6th of 2021. I stand by everything I said then. Obviously, it’ll be up to the Supreme Court to decide whether I was correct.”
3 years in the past, McConnell voted to acquit Trump within the impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, reasoning partially that Trump “didn’t get away with anything yet” and may just nonetheless be held responsible through the courts.
“We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation,” McConnell mentioned on Feb. 13, 2021. “And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one.”
CBS Information
At factor within the case sooner than the Ideally suited Court docket, Trump v. United States, is whether or not the previous president can face felony fees for allegedly legitimate acts era he was once within the White Space. The dispute, which arose from the federal prosecution through particular suggest Jack Smith, is the second one to come back sooner than the justices of their tide time period with vital repercussions for Trump’s political age.
The best possible court docket may just speed months to render a call.
McConnell nonetheless recommended Trump for president, telling Brennan that he has at all times maintained he would aid the Republican nominee for president.
McConnell has mentioned he’ll step unwell from his management position within the Senate in November, even if his time period received’t expire till 2027. That suggests, as Brennan identified, Trump may well be within the White Space era McConnell serves out the extra of his time period.
McConnell disregarded the speculation of reality checking or influencing Trump when the presumptive GOP nominee parrots incorrect information about Russia and Ukraine.
“I’m not going to give any advice to our candidate in the — in the presidential election,” McConnell mentioned. “What I’m focusing on is turning the Senate into a majority Republican.”
Endmost occasion, nearest a lot negotiating and hand-wringing, the Senate handed a $95 billion international support invoice for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel. McConnell, who stated to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nearest the invoice’s passage, mentioned he apologizes for the way lengthy the bundle took to move. To Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer’s credit score, McConnell mentioned, Democrats caught in combination — it was once Republicans who had to be certain.
In line with the original CBS Information polling, 79% of self-identified Republicans say the supply of knowledge they consider maximum on Ukraine and Russia is Trump, extra so than the Pentagon. Brennan requested McConnell how he would aim to counter that messaging.
“I think the single most important thing I can do is make sure my successor is the majority leader, no matter how the presidential election comes out,” McConnell mentioned. “I haven’t been entirely satisfied with this administration. I think the fact that our nominee basically decided not to continue whipping people against the package was a good sign, and I’m going to be advocating increasing the defense budget, no matter who gets elected, and preparing ourselves for the long term, which is China, Russia and Iran.”
Melissa Quinn and Robert Legare contributed to this document
Attack On The U.S. Capitol
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