Ex-Trump lawyer: Jack Smith has 'the better argument' on immunity claim in election subversion case
One-time Trump attorney Tim Parlatore, who left the former president’s legal team in May after playing a key role in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents probe, says special counsel Jack Smith has “the better argument” when it comes to claims of presidential immunity in the 2020 election subversion case.
In an interview Saturday on CNN, Parlatore said, “I think that on this point Jack Smith does have the better argument.”
“I never really bought into the idea of immunity being a winning argument here,” Parlatore continued. “It is something, however, that I think is going to be helpful in his plans to try to delay the trial because by using the appellate process, that could end up pushing this out past the election. But ultimately, I don't think it will be successful.”
Smith, in a new court filing, urged “an appeals court to reject former President Donald Trump's claims of presidential immunity in the 2020 election subversion case,” CNN reports.
Smith, in his filing, argued Trump “is wrong in claiming he should have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution in the federal election subversion case.” As CNN notes, the special counsel is asking a federal appeals court “to move quickly in hopes of preventing the March 4 trial date from being delayed. “
Speaking with CNN on Sunday, legal analyst Michael Moore agreed with Parlatore’s assessment.
“I think that’s probably right,” Moore said. “I think it's not the strongest argument [Trump] has going forward. Part of his tactic is really to slow things down, to move this March 4 trial date by getting into the novel questions and questions that only the Supreme Court can really answer at the end of the day. I think he is accomplishing that goal.”
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