Legal analysts were surprised Trump’s lawyer did not offer a rebuttal during arguments on the former president’s immunity claims.
The decision by D. John Sauer, a lawyer for Donald Trump, to waive his rebuttal during Supreme Court arguments on the former president’s immunity claims has surprised legal analysts.
On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments concerning Trump’s claims that presidential immunity should shield him from criminal charges in the federal election interference case brought by Jack Smith, a special counsel at the Department of Justice.
Smith’s investigation focused on Trump’s actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, and his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, such as creating false slates of pro-Trump electors in states he had lost to Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case and has accused federal prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes.
Trump’s attorneys argued that his actions constituted official presidential acts and that he was raising concerns about the election’s legitimacy in his official capacity as president.
