The statement below is by Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States.
“The Supreme Court ruling to grant Donald Trump immunity is a fracture in the public’s trust in our structures of accountability. This decision to consider any action during Trump’s presidency an “official act” shields him from scrutiny and liability as our nation’s highest public servant. To say that I am disappointed and appalled with the ruling is a complete understatement.
We all know what happened on January 6, we do not need a court to interpret what we saw with our own eyes; Trump incited an insurrection. He called for his supporters to march on our nation’s capital where law enforcement agents and legislators then came under siege of an armed militia, acting in the name of the former President. And now our highest court has ruled in a partisan 6-3 vote that because he was in office, Trump cannot be held accountable for his role in inciting this chaos.
Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor’s response to the ruling put it best when she said, “this makes a mockery of the constitutional principle that no man is above the law.” This sends a clear signal that treasonous and criminal acts are allowable as President as long as you align with the court ideologically. Like the very insurrection this case is regarding, the court’s decision breaks down the walls of a free and open democracy and threatens our nation’s very stability.”