Johnson rejects Democratic ‘hyperbole’ about immunity decision: ‘It’s crazy’

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday brushed aside Democrats’ concerns about the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, calling their fears of future presidential criminality “crazy.”

“Look, there’s all kinds of hyperbole tonight… and just this, fantastic, these hypotheses they’ve come up with [that] future presidents are going to turn into murderers and all that,” Johnson said Monday in an interview with Fox News. “It’s crazy.”

“Listen, remember this. The president and the vice president are the only two leaders in our constitutional system who are elected by the entire people, no one who is elected to that office will be subject to this kind of crazy criminal activity,” Johnson said . added.

The Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 decision on Monday, ruling along ideological lines that presidents have absolute immunity for actions that fall within the essential responsibilities of their office and are “at least presumptively immune” for all other official acts. .

Democrats criticized the decision, arguing that it will encourage future presidents to break the law with impunity – including former President Trump if he returns to the White House.

Some lawmakers echoed the sentiments of the three liberal justices who dissented from Monday’s ruling and listed a series of hypothetical situations and crimes from which they argued presidents will now be protected.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in favor of the dissent, said the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Trump immunity from official acts “completely isolates[s] presidents of criminal responsibility.”

“When he uses his official powers in any way, the majority reasoned, he will now be exempt from criminal prosecution,” Sotomayor wrote. “Order Navy Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organize a military coup to maintain power? Immune. Do you accept bribes in exchange for forgiveness? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

Johnson resisted this argument, stating that the majority opinion “follows common sense” and the Constitution.

“You have to have the president, with the ability to make difficult decisions – hourly, daily – and not worry about the possibility of dishonest prosecutors going after them at some point in the future,” Johnson said. “I mean, the president can’t operate if he has this kind of ‘sword of Damocles’ hanging over his head and that’s very simply what the court ruled today.”

Johnson was one of several Republicans who hailed the high court ruling as a victory over the “weaponization” of government, after it dealt a blow to special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Speaker argued that the decision should have been 9-0 and accused the liberal justices of “playing along with the charade.”

The ruling will likely delay Trump’s federal election subversion trial, as it sent the case back to a lower court to reconsider whether his actions on January 6, 2021 deserve special protections from criminal prosecution.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story