Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is spearheading an effort to limit the presidential immunity expanded by a recent Supreme Court ruling, arguing that it could allow a president to exploit the executive power to trample constitutional freedom and liberty.
Democrats are pushing for new legislative limits on presidential immunity in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that expanded the office's authority for "official" acts.
The Supreme Court ruling stems from Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe into former President Trump and his allies' alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Smith filed an amended, superceding indictment against Trump after the court's conservative majority granted the office of the president broad immunity for acts deemed "official," the specifics of which are to be determined by lower courts.
Democrats Push for Limits on Presidential Immunity in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is leading an effort to push back against the ruling. He has helped roll out a "No Dictators Declaration," urging members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to sign a pledge to limit the president's ability to exploit the executive power.
The declaration has five main pillars:
Democrats Push for Limits on Presidential Immunity in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
1. Limiting the president's power to declare bogus domestic and foreign emergencies to seize power and bypass congressional authority.
2. Restricting the president's ability to use the Insurrection Act to deploy the military domestically against the people.
Democrats Push for Limits on Presidential Immunity in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
3. Preventing the adoption of partisan, personal, and ideological loyalty tests, loyalty oaths, and similar authoritarian measures designed to purge the professional civil service and replace qualified workers with unqualified party loyalists and sycophants.
4. Ensuring that presidents who abuse their powers to commit crimes can be prosecuted like all other citizens.
Democrats Push for Limits on Presidential Immunity in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
5. Constraining the president's ability to use investigative and prosecutorial decisions and resources to pursue personal political vendettas against disfavored groups and perceived enemies of the president.
Raskin stressed that this effort is not partisan, but rather aimed at protecting the freedoms of the people. He alluded to a host of accusations that have been lodged against Trump, suggesting that the ruling could allow a president to exploit the executive power to trample constitutional freedom and liberty.
Raskin said he hopes that if Democrats win the House majority in November, they will be able to hold hearings on the problem of overreach in the executive branch and weakness to potential tyrants. He added that he hopes Republicans would come along and support legislative action to address these concerns.
Former GOP Rep. Joe Walsh, who has been a vocal Trump critic, also endorsed the "No Dictators" effort, suggesting that Trump inspired the movement. He noted that it brought together himself and Raskin, despite their larger political disagreements. Walsh said that every member of the House and Senate should sign the pledge to ensure that the United States does not have a dictator as president.
