Political commentator Van Jones said Monday that the Supreme Court’s ruling that key presidential powers are immune from criminal prosecution is “almost like a license for bandits” for former President Trump.
The court’s decision was a significant victory for Trump as it sends his federal case related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol back to the court to determine whether charges are warranted. This will likely delay judgment on the decision until after the presidential election.
But Jones expressed more concern about future actions Trump might take, given the decision, if he were reelected.
“Politically, it’s almost like a ‘thug’s license,’ in a way,” Jones continued. “Like, you can do whatever you want, and the Supreme Court will probably let you get away with it. That’s very scary in this case and so I’m very, very concerned.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling was decided along ideological lines and failed to grant Trump the full immunity he sought in the case.
Jones said the Supreme Court had to decide: “Do you care more about the illegal conduct of a sitting president or possibly the unfair prosecution of a former president?” adding: “They are obviously more concerned about the latter.”
He said the decision is politically “bad” and “makes the Supreme Court look very partisan.”
“They should be wearing some sort of black and white referee shirt or something. It looks like they are wearing red t-shirts or even MAGA hats. This is going to be bad politically for the Supreme Court,” Jones said.
The ruling is a blow to some of Trump’s allegations made by special counsel Jack Smith, as he ruled that several actions Trump took to remain in power after losing the election were in fact protected.
The case now returns to district court, where proceedings were halted while the high court weighed Trump’s immunity claims. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the matter, must now weigh in on the issue for a second time, as well as Trump’s other pending efforts to dismiss the case.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
