President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign delivered a sharp rebuke of the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity released Monday, arguing the high court “handed Donald Trump the keys to a dictatorship” and pledging to take the issue on the trail ahead of November. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign delivered a sharp rebuke of the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity released Monday, arguing the high court “handed Donald Trump the keys to a dictatorship” 
  • In the 6-3 decision, which saw the three liberal justices dissent, the case was sent back to a lower court, further delaying the historic prosecution against former President Donald Trump on charges that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters 
  • The campaign argued that the decision can be seen as an “amplifier” to the case the Biden team has been making that Trump wants to be a dictator and wants “unchecked power"
  • Republicans in Congress, on the other hand, celebrated the decision on Monday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., calling it a “victory"

“The Supreme Court just gave Trump a permission slip to assassinate and jail whoever he wants to gain power,” Biden’s Principal Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks told reporters on a call about an hour after the high court handed down the ruling, which found presidents are shielded from prosecution for official acts but not unofficial ones. 

In the 6-3 decision, which saw the high court's three liberal justices dissent, the case was sent back to a lower court, further delaying the historic prosecution against former President Donald Trump on charges that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

“It is a sweeping and devastating opinion for our separation of powers and for our fundamental belief and [notion] that no one is above the law,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., argued to reporters on Monday’s call. “The implication of it is significant – there will certainly not be a trial before the election.” 

The Biden team highlighted liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in which she argued the ruling “creates a law-free zone around the President,” noting under the decision a commander in chief will be immune from acts such as ordering the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival, organizing a military coup or taking a bribe in exchange for a pardon. 

“According to this decision, if it's an official act to ask his Justice Department to jail his political opponents, he's immune. If it's an official act to have his Homeland Security Department round up Latinos in detention camps and deport them for no reason, he'd be immune for that,” Fulks argued. “If it's an official act to have his vice president overturn the fair and free results of an election, he's immune to that.”

Fulks later argued that the decision can be seen as an “amplifier” to the case the Biden campaign has been making that Trump wants to be a dictator, wants “unchecked power" and is thus a threat to democracy. 

“From now until November, we're going to continue taking this case directly to voters who are going to decide this election,” he said. 

Separately, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, sharply criticized Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito for not stepping away from the case. Related to the topic of the Trump immunity case, Thomas has come under fire from Democrats for his wife’s conservative activism, especially as it relates to Jan. 6, while Alito has faced pushback for flags that previously flew outside his homes that have been associated with those who attacked the capitol. 

"It is disgraceful that Justice Thomas and Alito brazenly refused to recuse themselves from this case," Durbin said. "As I've said before, the appearance of impropriety or partiality require recusal.”

A spokesperson for the White House counsel's office said that "we need leaders like President Biden who respect the justice system and don't tear it down."

"As President Biden has said, nobody is above the law," Ian Sams, spokesperson for the White House counsel's office, said in a statement. "That is a core American principle and how our system of justice works."

Congressional Republicans, on the other hand, celebrated the decision on Monday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., calling it a “victory.” Congressional Republicans often argue the Biden administration and Democrats have “weaponized” the Justice Department against Trump and Republicans. 

“Today’s ruling by the Court is a victory for former President Trump and all future presidents, and another defeat for President Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice and Jack Smith,” he wrote in a statement, referring to the special counsel leading the federal Jan. 6 case against Trump. “The Court clearly stated that presidents are entitled to immunity for their official acts.”

“The weaponization of President Biden’s Department of Justice against President Trump is outrageous, unconstitutional, and must cease,” House Majority leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a statement. “While it’s becoming increasingly clear Democrats believe their only path to victory in November is through prosecuting their political opponent, today’s decision makes it clear this is not allowed in our constitutional system.” 

(Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the federal Jan. 6 case as well as a separate federal case against Trump. There is no evidence of Biden’s involvement in the four separate criminal proceedings against Trump.)

Spectrum News' Justin Tasolides contributed to this report.