Former President Trump’s legal team suggested Tuesday that even a president directing SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent would be an action barred from prosecution given a former executive’s broad immunity to criminal prosecution.

The hypothetical was presented to Trump attorney John Sauer who answered with a “qualified yes” that a former president would be immune from prosecution on that matter or even on selling pardons.

  • BaddDadd@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Ask him if that means Biden can assassinate Trump. Then remind him of the concept of estoppel. Then Biden comes to their first presidential debate and places a .44 Magnum handgun on the podium, to see if Trump runs away like the little bitch he is.

    • gregorum@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      “If Biden weren’t so weak, he’d assassinate me” is what he’s saying.

      • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
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        11 months ago

        wasnt the hypothetical along the lines of the president ordering a military unit to assassinate a rival? If one wanted to really invoke that, Biden wouldnt need to fire a gun at all, just have some tough looking and visibly armed soldier stand just offstage and stare menacingly

        • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Not even a visible person, just a couple of red laser pointers aimed from a secure location.

          Or they could have the debate on the middle of 5th Avenue in NYC and Biden could just make the finger guns at Trump every time Trump is speaking.

        • BajaTacos@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          He could even say something like, “Won’t someone rid me of this me of this meddlesome jackass?”

      • Garbanzo@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Jesus Christ, do you want to see Trump splattered? We all know a 9mm will blow the lungs out, that should be plenty. That or a trusty shotgun, obviously, which we all know sends bad guys running just by loading the thing.

        • mrbubblesort@kbin.social
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          11 months ago

          yeah, most devils have fire and poison immunity. you’re gonna need a silver weapon or something that does holy damage

          • chaogomu@kbin.social
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            11 months ago

            Best I can do is a “Holy fuck, that’s a big gun”.

            For example, the Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro Express Revolver. It takes British made rifle rounds, each costing $40.

            Then there’s the Magnum Research BFR, .45/70 Government. It, too, takes rifle rounds. You can even get the BFR in .30-30 Winchester if you want.

            Note that shooting these handguns will require some serious arm and wrist strength, not something an older man would have. So best offload the task to his Secret Service.

            In which case, you might as well just go for a rifle. In which case, I’d suggest the .950 JDJ If that doesn’t count as holy damage, I don’t know what would.

    • Pipoca@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      That doesn’t quite work.

      Trump’s lawyers argument is that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution on any official act, even if that official act is illegal or unconstitutional; that the only remedy is impeachment.

      The judge brought up ordering seal team 6 to assinate a rival as an example of an obviously illegal official act. Trump’s lawyers response was “obviously he’d be impeached, but yeah, I guess if he weren’t he’d be immune from prosecution”.

      Shooting Trump at the debate would be a prosecutable private action, according to Trump’s lawyer. What Biden would have to do is to tell seal team 6 “If Trump gets on this stage, shoot him”.