Why Trump Is Correct About Presidential Immunity › American Greatness
Paul Ingrassia
The media has driven itself into a tizzy in recent days, claiming that despite serving as president of the United States (and being poised to reclaim that office in less than a year’s time), Donald Trump should not be granted the same kinds of immunity and executive privilege that every other chief magistrate enjoyed before him. Showcasing their ignorance of both the Constitution and history, the mainstream media has framed the concept as something of a novel innovation for President Trump’s lawyers, who are advocating for “broad immunity,” implying that no other presidential officeholder has ever made that claim. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, it is well-established law that what the media calls “broad” is quite ordinary, mundane even, in the grand scheme of the history of presidential power. Indeed, it may well be argued that Trump’s lawyers have thus far understated the scope of presidential power—whose source originates from Article II, Section I of the Constitution, which states that “executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America” (emphasis on one). Notice that, contrary to what the DOJ or intelligence agencies might have one believe, the Constitution’s text specifically delineates one chief magistrate, out of which all executive authority—including those agencies subordinate to the President but under the umbrella of the Executive Branch—is based. This construction is reinforced by the Federalist Papers, which stipulate that “energy in the executive” is “the leading character in the definition of good government” (Federalist 70). Further down in that same article, Hamilton asserts that “the executive power is more easily confined when it is one.” In other words, the Founding Fathers called for an “energetic”—that is, a strong and vigorous—president. An energetic executive might only exist with (what the media terms) “broad” immunity; otherwise, it would prove itself impotent in the face of a national crisis.
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https://amgreatness.com/2023/12/29/why-trump-is-correct-about-presidential-immunity/
