The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has spoken out against the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity, suggesting Democrats are looking for ways to limit former President Trump’s powers that were expanded by the court’s ruling.
“It is the responsibility of Congress, the representative body of the people, to protect the constitutional order from a president who tramples on the freedoms of the American people,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said at a press conference alongside former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh.
“This proclamation is about protecting the freedoms of our people by closing legal loopholes that could allow the president to misuse his executive power to trample on our constitutional freedoms and rights.”
He is leading a campaign to encourage lawmakers from both parties to sign the “Declaration Against Dictators.”
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Rep. Jamie Raskin (R-Iowa) helped launch a campaign aimed at limiting presidential immunity that was expanded by Supreme Court decisions under former President Trump. (Getty Images)
Raskin, who held a press conference supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday, did not mention Trump by name.
The initiative’s website similarly emphasizes that “this is not a partisan issue.”
But in explaining the pledge’s “five pillars,” Raskin referenced numerous allegations made against the former president.
“There are five pillars to this bill. First, it limits the president’s ability to declare false domestic and international emergencies in order to seize power and circumvent Congressional authority. Second, it limits the president’s ability to use the Insurrection Act to send military forces domestically against citizens,” Raskin said.
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“Three, to prevent the introduction of partisan, personal and ideological loyalty tests, loyalty oaths and similar authoritarian measures aimed at purging the professional civil service and replacing competent officials with unqualified party members and followers.”
“Fourth, to ensure that a president who abuses his power to commit crimes will be prosecuted like any other citizen, because no one in America is above the law, and those of us who seek and hold public office are nothing less than servants of the people,” he continued. “And fifth, to limit the president’s ability to use his investigative and prosecutorial decisions and resources to pursue a personal political vendetta against disadvantaged groups or perceived enemies of the president.”
The Supreme Court expanded presidential immunity in key cases this year. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump’s Supreme Court case stems from an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into allegations that the former president and his allies tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
After the Supreme Court’s conservative majority gave the presidency broad immunity for “official” acts, Judge Smith filed an amended indictment against Trump, the details of which were left to be decided by lower courts.
Asked by Fox News Digital whether the effort could develop into legislation if Democrats gain control of the House in November, Raskin suggested that was a possibility.
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“When we return to Congress, I expect to see at least two serious hearings on issues of executive branch overreach and vulnerability to potential tyrants and dictators,” Raskin said.
“We hope that these hearings will lead to the development of legislation to address the structural flaws in our nation’s legal system.”
Raskin is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
“I hope the Republicans will join us,” he added.
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Walsh, a Tea Party Republican who left office in January 2013 and has been a vocal critic of Trump, also strongly suggested that Trump sparked the “anti-dictator” movement, but noted that the movement brought him and Raskin together despite their political differences.
“We’re in a bind right now because we have a man running for president who is committed to being a dictator,” Walsh said. “This is a bipartisan effort and I think every member of the House and every member of the Senate should be able to sign on and pledge that they don’t want a dictator as president.”
