Mitch McConnell Says He Doesn't Think Presidents Should Be Immune From Prosecution
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday presidents should not be immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken in office, as the Supreme Court considers the issue.
“Obviously, I don’t think that,” McConnell told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker when asked about the assertion, which former President Donald Trump has brought to the nation’s highest court.
“But it’s not up to me to make that decision,” he continued. “The president clearly needs some kind of immunity, or he’d be in court all the time. So we’ll see how the Supreme Court deals with it.”
In 2021, McConnell said there was “no question” Trump was to blame for the U.S. Capitol riot, but he voted nonetheless to acquit Trump after he was impeached by the House. But McConnell argued that Trump “didn’t get away with anything, yet.”
“We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being [held] accountable by either one,” he said.
Welker asked him if he stands by those comments.
McConnell said he does, but “I’m not on the Supreme Court. I don’t get to make the final decision on that.”
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday on Trump’s claim that he has “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for official acts during his presidency. The answer will determine whether Trump can be tried on federal charges linked to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
The case arrived at the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court ruled against his absolute immunity claim. The trial is on hold until the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Despite his fractured relationship with the former president and past rebukes, McConnell endorsed him in March, arguing that he had always intended to support the GOP’s presidential nominee.
