Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) warned the Supreme Court on Sunday that it’d be making a “terrible decision” if it doesn’t move with “great speed” to rule on former President Donald Trump’s immunity claim.
The California Democrat, in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” weighed in on delays impacting the presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s multiple legal cases including Trump’s federal election interference case.
Last month, the Supreme Court decided on late April to hear arguments on Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution for alleged criminal acts he engaged in while in office, further delaying a trial in the case. Special counsel Jack Smith called on the court to swiftly tackle the immunity claim in December only for his push to be rejected.
Schiff told CNN’s Dana Bash that delays in the case are his “greatest concern,” adding that it’s the “most serious set of allegations” against him in a case brought by the Justice Department.
“The Supreme Court moved with great speed when it came to ruling that Trump could appear on the ballot. The question is, will it also move with great speed in rejecting this bogus immunity claim?” asked Schiff, a Democratic candidate running for a U.S. Senate seat in California.
He continued, “If it doesn’t, it’s making a deliberate decision essentially to push the trial past the election. And I think that would be a terrible decision, both for the interest of justice. It would be a terrible decision in depriving American voters of the information they would learn during the course of that trial, but it would also just further discredit this partisan and reactionary court.”
Bash asked Schiff if there’s a chance Trump might not stand trial in any of the cases ahead of Election Day in November.
“There is a chance that he could evade justice by delaying justice,” Schiff said.
“This is a tried-and-true tactic of Trump throughout his career. And I hope that the courts are aware of exactly what he’s doing and his incentive in trying to prolong this, and I hope they won’t go along with that strategy.”