CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins questioned a lawyer for former President Trump about Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's line of inquiry in the former president’s presidential immunity case at the Supreme Court Thursday.
Collins asked about the situations in which ordering a military coup is considered an official act of the presidency, particularly in the context of Kagan's questioning of Trump lawyer D. John Sauer on presidential immunity in the case of a president ordering the military to stage a coup.
Scharf responded that when discussing official acts, intent and purpose are not relevant, but rather the underlying character. He suggested that if such a situation were to occur using the president's official powers, it could be seen as having an aspect of officialness.
The two continued their discussion, and Collins later commented on Scharf's bold argument that military coups could potentially be official acts.
Scharf countered that the argument is not intended to justify such actions, but rather to define the extent of immunity presidents have while in office.
He stated that just because a military coup or similar actions could be considered official acts does not mean they are right or permissible under the constitutional system. He emphasized that the discussion was about the extent of immunity presidents require to fulfill their core responsibilities.
During the Supreme Court hearing on Trump’s claims of immunity, Kagan inquired about whether a president ordering the military to stage a coup constitutes an official act, to which Sauer suggested that it could be. held On the same day as the Supreme Court hearing, the former president was in court in New York for his hush money case, which began last week. This case represents the first criminal trial of a former American president and involves 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to reimbursements to his attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, who paid an adult film actor $130,000 prior to the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, which he denies.
the first criminal trial of a former American president. He has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to reimbursements to his attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, who paid an adult film actor $130,000 prior to the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, which he denies. CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins pressed an attorney for former President Trump on a line of questioning by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan in the former president’s presidential immunity case at the Supreme Court Thursday. “What are the circumstances where ordering a military coup is an official act of the presidency?” Collins said, referring to a…
