Retired military leaders warn of the threat to democracy if Trump is found to be immune

Former military leaders are sounding the alarm ahead of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court immunity hearing later this month. Retired four-star admirals and generals, along with former secretaries of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, want to warn the justices about the dangers of his presidential immunity claim.

Unless Trump’s theory is rejected, they wrote in an amicus brief, “we risk jeopardizing America’s standing as a guardian of democracy in the world and further feeding the spread of authoritarianism, thereby threatening the national security of the United States and democracies around the world.”

Oral argument in Washington is set for April 25. Meanwhile, Trump’s federal election interference case is on hold pending the high court’s ruling. Even if the justices rule against the former president, depending on when and how they rule exactly, their decision to take up the appeal and set it for a hearing in late April could effectively immunize him. That’s because Trump could win the presidential election in November before even standing trial and use his reacquired presidential power to crush the case.

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Bugs Marlowe

Article URL : https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trump-supreme-court-immunity-military-leaders-rcna146885