ALITO: Immunity for Exiting Presidents is Justified as They Might Cling to Power in Response. WHAT?

[babylonsister]

ALITO: Immunity for Exiting Presidents is Justified as They Might Cling to Power in Response. WHAT?
Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 4:43:15p EDT
Munchausen



snip//

“A stable, democratic society requires that a candidate who loses an election, even a close one, even a hotly contested one, leave office peacefully,” said Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who added that if a president fears prosecution after they leave office, it could encourage to try to cling to power.

A criminal prosecution of Trump could "lead us into a cycle that destabilizes the functioning of our country as a democracy," he said.

So — let me get this straight: Alito is making the argument that an ex-President should never be charged with a crime they committed...because (gasp!) they’ll “fear prosecution” (yes, that tends to happen with criminals who are indicted with crimes — they usually aren’t happy about it)...and “cling to power” — meaning that they’ll refuse to leave office and engage in insurrection — and THAT’s the logic for not charging an ex-President for crimes they committed? That we should never hold ex-Presidents accountable for their CRIMES because they might commit the crime of insurrection because they’re BUMMED about being indicted?

Huh. That’s odd, because I always thought that NOT holding those in power accountable for their crimes is what leads to fascism. I must have been reading the WRONG CONSTITUTION.

Not to mention the obvious fact that there is no precedent of a U.S. president engaging in insurrection before Trump, therefore employing the specter of insurrection as a tool to *not prosecute for insurrection* (or any other crime committed), is Ionesco-level absurd, as it not only implies that every future president would be as insane as Trump — but that every *past* President, as well, was so fragile that they were just a broken tea-cup away from engaging in insurrection.

Alito here is not only justifying both immunity AND the insurrection by surreally blaming “fear of prosecution” (hey, Trump just engaged in insurrection because he didn’t want to be prosecuted for his crimes, so let’s just not indict ex-Presidents — see: citizens — for crimes they’ve committed anymore; problem solved!) he’s essentially making the argument that NOBODY who’s been in power should ever be prosecuted for crimes they committed when they’re about to leave their position because they might commit more crimes to prevent being prosecuted.

more...

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/4/25/2237269/-Samuel-Alito-Immunity-for-Ex-Presidents-is-Justified-Because-They-ll-Cling-to-Power-Wait-WHAT