Democrats vow to get "aggressive" with SCOTUS after Trump ruling
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Andrew Solender
House Democrats are previewing plans for a forceful legislative and investigative push against the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have legal immunity for "official acts."
Why it matters: It is part of House Democrats' effort to frame themselves in the 2024 election as a potential bulwark against unified conservative control of a federal government led by former President Trump.
"Everyone is making that argument with donors" after President Biden's poor debate performance last week, one House Democrat told Axios.
"The only thing more dangerous than Trump winning is Trump with control of all three branches of government," Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) told Axios.
Driving the news: The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines Monday that Trump is shielded from prosecution for "official acts" he performed while in office, Axios' Erin Doherty and Ivana Saric reported.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the conservative majority, said a former president has "absolute immunity" for acts "within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority."
The decision leaves it to lower courts to determine if most of the criminal acts Trump was accused of in the Jan. 6 indictment are "official" or not.
In a win for Trump, the ruling all but guarantees the case will not go to trial before Nov. 5.
What they're saying: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a statement reacting to the ruling, said House Democrats "will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity" in response.
The aim, he said, will be to "ensure that the extreme, far-right justices in the majority are brought into compliance with the Constitution."
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said it is "incumbent upon the Legislative Branch to preserve the constitutional foundation of our democracy as three co-equal branches of government."
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