[ad_1]
FORMER PRESIDENT: Donald Trump here since the day he resigned the presidency. Photo: CARLOS BARRIA / Reuters
Democrats want to ask questions of the recently resigned president in the Supreme Court case that begins against him next week. Donald Trump is said to have already declined the invitation.
On Thursday night, several US media reported on the request from the Democrats, but less than two hours later the message arrived that Trump does not intend to comply with that request.
The latest according to NBC News reporter Kirsten Welker, who writes on Twitter that Trump’s lawyers answer “no” to questions about whether Trump will testify:
This is the Democrat Jamie Raskin, who on behalf of the House of Representatives, in a letter sent Thursday asked Donald Trump to testify.
Raskin heads the group of Democrats who will act as prosecutor in the case against the former president. The Supreme Court case itself is taking place in the Senate, the second house of Congress, and it is the 100 senators there who serve as jurors and will possibly try Trump, if at least two-thirds vote for this.
Trump is on trial for inciting the attack on Congress on January 6, two weeks before his term as president ended.
also read
These are Trump’s eight responses to the Supreme Court indictment
Low ed
The letter expressing the desire for Trump to testify comes two days after his advocates presented his document to the Senate explaining why they believe he cannot be convicted.
Their main argument is that they believe it is against the constitution to nominate a president who has already resigned from the Supreme Court. This is an argument with which several constitutional experts in the United States have recently disagreed.
The different senators are supposed to vote:
When Donald Trump was first tried in court, about a year ago, he did not testify. Neither does anyone else. At that time, Republicans had a majority in the Senate and had the power to decide whether to open witnesses or not. They said no to that. This time, the power rests with the Democrats, who with the help of the vice president’s vote now have a majority in an otherwise 50-50 Senate.
Donald Trump can still decline the offer to testify, and he should have already.
If he had testified about his role in what ultimately ended in an attack on Congress that killed five people, he would have done so under oath. Lying before Congress under oath is in itself a crime and can result in a prison sentence of up to five years.
Trump’s lawyers: publicity stunt
In the letter, Raskin warns Trump:
“If you decline this invitation, we reserve all rights, including the right to withhold during trial, that your refusal to testify supports a strong negative conclusion about your actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021.”
Shortly after Raskin’s letter was released, a response letter arrived from Trump’s attorneys, Bruce L. Castor jr. and David I. Schon. There, they refer to the request as a publicity stunt.
In addition, they write that there is no need to “deny a procedure that violates the constitution.”
They believe Raskin’s letter confirms that Democrats did not prove their accusation against Trump.
The Supreme Court case begins Tuesday of next week.
Donald Trump is only the third president in history to be tried. It is the first to pass twice. Last year, he was not convicted when only one of the Republican senators voted in favor.
The Supreme Court is a political process. It is not legal. This means that you may end up acquitted even if the evidence presented indicates that you are guilty of the charges to which you are exposed.
Trump probably won’t be convicted this time, either. Few believe that up to 17 Republicans will vote for this. Something that is necessary as long as all Democrats vote in favor.
Already 45 of them have said they believe it is against the constitution to bring him to the Supreme Court.
