Former President Donald Trump’s campaign adviser Alina Habba contended Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity is detrimental to special counsel Jack Smith’s case, doubting that the trial will be held before the 2024 election.
The court’s decision on Trump v. United States revealed that U.S. presidents are entitled “to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution” for official acts during their presidency, with the decision coming to a 6-3 opinion by the court. Habba expressed gratitude toward the Supreme Court for its decision, calling it “a good day” when the court recognizes the constitutional rights of presidents.
“So, yes, the lower courts again will have to hear it,” Habba said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “It will, in my opinion, slow down Jack Smith’s persecution and selective prosecution of President Trump, and I don’t see how this case could go forward before the election. But again, I would say that there are still issues to be discussed, such as how Jack Smith even got into this position. How we allowed our democracy, how we allowed the republic to become one that targets political opponents.”
Habba added that the legal battles Trump has faced amid his 2024 presidential bid is “election interference at its finest.” She added that she needed to read the court’s decision fully but thanked Chief Justice John Roberts for the decision.
Trump v. United States stems from Smith’s four-count indictment on Trump, which alleges that the former president attempted to subvert the 2020 election results and that he intended for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to happen. The question debated in the case came down to whether or not Trump was immune from prosecution for his conduct in office after the 2020 election.
Smith has argued that Trump’s actions fell outside the scope of presidential duties and that he should not enjoy protection because of this.
Trump reacted to the court’s ruling on Truth Social, saying that it was a “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY.”
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The Biden-Harris campaign also issued its own statement on the ruling, arguing it “doesn’t change the facts” about what happened on Jan. 6 and that the former president encouraged “a mob to overthrow” the election results. The statement was made even though Trump, in a speech prior to the riot, said his supporters would march to the Capitol “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
While the Supreme Court’s decision gives Trump a lifeline in his trial with Smith, he nevertheless faces his sentencing on July 11 related to his 34 guilty verdicts from his hush money trial. The sentencing will be held just days before the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee for 2024.