The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution for all “official” acts taken during his presidency, excluding any “unofficial acts. However, the opinion does not precisely define what constitutes “official” and “unofficial” acts, leaving it up to the lower courts to determine the nature of such conduct.
However, what constitutes “official” and “unofficial” acts by the president are not precisely defined in the opinion, and would ultimately be up to the lower courts to determine where the conduct falls.
Chris Timmons, a former prosecutor and legal contributor spoke with ABC News to clarify discrepancies between the two types of acts.
“(Official acts are) something that you would expect the president to do — kind of a core presidential duty, like acting as Commander-in-Chief of the military,” said Timmons. “If the president of the United States sent troops to Lebanon, for example, he couldn’t be prosecuted for murder.”
While many consider this ruling a win for Trump, it is in no way a get-out-of-jail-free card, particularly regarding actions he took as a candidate, not as the president.
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