STORY: :: July 1, 2024
:: Biden says Supreme Court's immunity
ruling sets a 'dangerous precedent'
:: Washington, D.C.
:: "This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the President of United States. But with today's Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity that fundamentally changed. For all, for all practical purposes, today's decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. This is a fundamentally new principle, and it's a dangerous precedent because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States. The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone."
:: "The American people must decide whether Donald Trump's assault on our democracy on January 6th makes him unfit for public office in the highest office in the land. The American people must decide if Trump's embrace of violence to preserve his power is acceptable. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide if they want to entrust the president once again, the presidency to Donald Trump now knowing he'll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases whenever he wants to do it."
In calm, measured remarks from the White House, Biden said the decision meant Trump was highly unlikely to go on trial before the Nov. 5 election for his role in seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election .
The U.S. Supreme Court found on Monday that Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were within his constitutional powers as president, but can be for private acts, in a landmark ruling recognizing for the first time any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.
Biden is running for re-election against Trump and has been sharply critical of his rival's actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, raid on the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters, who believed Trump's false claims that he had won the 2020 election.
