President Biden on Monday sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to broadly shield presidents from criminal prosecution while in office, calling it a “dangerous precedent.”
“For all practical purposes, today’s decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits to what a president can do. It is a fundamentally new principle,” Biden said in comments at the White House. “It is a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be limited by the law, including even the United States Supreme Court.”
“The only limits will be self-imposed only by the president,” he added.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued its long-awaited opinion on presidential immunity, in which a 6-3 conservative majority ruled that presidents have absolute immunity for actions that fall within the essential responsibilities of their office and are presumptively immune. in all other official acts.
The decision provided a victory for Trump, who is using the defense of immunity in a federal electoral subversion case, in which he is accused for his efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat and for his actions leading up to January 6.
Biden, speaking from the White House in unexpected remarks upon returning from Camp David, took the opportunity to warn American voters about making their own judgments when they go to the polls in November.
“The American people must decide whether Trump’s embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide whether they want to trust…the presidency to Donald Trump, knowing now that he will feel even more emboldened to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.”
The comments are Biden’s first from the White House since debating Trump last week. He has come under fire for his poor performance and calls for him to step down in the 2024 race. After his five minutes of remarks Monday night, he did not answer questions despite pleas from allies like Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) to have him speak extemporaneously more often so he could alleviate the concerns of Americans older than his age.
In his remarks at the White House, Biden sharply criticized the court and said he would respect presidential powers — although the shield of immunity granted by the high court would apply to all future presidents, including Biden, if he serves a second term.
“It will depend on the character of the men and women who hold the presidency that will define the limits of the power of the presidency because the law will no longer do so,” Biden said. “I know I will respect the limits of presidential powers, as I have for three and a half years, but any president, including Donald Trump, will now be free to ignore the law.”
Biden ended his remarks by saying he agreed with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the court’s three liberal justices, who wrote a scathing dissent in which she said the ruling makes the president “a king above the law.”
“The same should happen to the American people. I disagree. May God bless you all and may God help preserve our democracy,” he said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
