Lawyers for the former president will make a sweeping argument that he enjoys blanket immunity from federal prosecution for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to make a rare Tuesday appearance in a courtroom in Washington, D.C., for a make-or-break moment in his federal election interference case.
Lawyers for Trump argue he has immunity from prosecution. And if the appeals court panel sides with Trump, it could mean the end of the federal case against him.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to four felony counts that accuse him of leading a conspiracy to cling to power and disenfranchise millions of voters in 2020. Prosecutors say that this culminated in violence at the U.S. Capitol three years ago that injured 140 law enforcement officers and shook the foundations of American democracy.Arguments in the case
Trump attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche assert that those charges are based on official actions Trump took while he was president — and that Trump was simply raising questions about the integrity of the election.
They also argue that because Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, but not convicted by the U.S. Senate, for his behavior around the Capitol riot, to prosecute him now would violate the principle against double jeopardy.
