Democrats unleash their anger, threaten Supreme Court with impeachment after verdict in Trump presidential immunity case

Several Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden exploded against the Supreme Court after the High Court ruled this first of July that presidents have total immunity in actions considered official. The 6-3 ruling responds to special prosecutor Jack Smith´s  accusation of electoral interference against former president Donald Trump.

Biden was one of the last Democrats to speak out on the Supreme Court´s decision.

In a brief message from the White House, the Democratic leader said that the opinion "almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on the president can do."

Subsequently, he called the verdict "a fundamentally new principle" that feels "a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, even including the Supreme Court of the United States."

One of the most controversial criticisms came from radical congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, who threatened to file articles of impeachment against the Supreme Court on her X (formerly Twitter) account.

"The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control. Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture. I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return," said Ocasio-Cortez, who quickly received support from progressive Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-TX): "Count me in."

AOC was not alone in unleashing her ire or lamenting the Supreme Court's decision, whose ruling did not lay out a direct position on whether Trump's actions in connection with Smith's indictment corresponded to official acts or not.

In fact, the Supreme Court was explicit and remanded the case to a lower court with further guidance on presidential immunity.

However, this was no deterrent for Democrats to again attack the Supreme Court, considered by progressives as "ultraconservative."

"This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracyy," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. "The very basis of our judicial system is that no one is above the law."

"Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president," he declared.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) referred to the Supreme Court as an "extreme right-wing" institution that must be stopped.

The ruling sets a "dangerous precedent," the congressman said. "House Democrats will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity with respect to the Supreme Court to ensure that the extreme, far-right justices in the majority are brought into compliance with the Constitution."

For her part, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also issued a strong criticism of the Supreme Court, calling it "dishonest".

"The former president’s claim of total presidential immunity is an insult to the vision of our founders, who declared independence from a King," she said in a statement.

Some Democratic representatives also brought up the fact that three Supreme Court justices were appointed by Trump, suggesting that this renders the justices incapable of dispensing justice despite the fact that on numerous occasions the high court has voted together on cases criticized by conservatives.

"He appointed 3 extreme judges and is now exploiting the powers of the president in ways that were once unthinkable. The court can no longer be counted on to defend the constitution," said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, took direct aim at Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said: "This Court has lost all credibility—made painfully clear by the fact that Justice Thomas and Justice Alito refused to recuse themselves from this case despite their glaring lack of impartiality."

Finally, Democrats also said the Supreme Court's ruling gave free rein to an authoritarian system in the United States.

"The net effect is not only to delay Trump’s criminal trial, but bestow an unwise and unjust broad shield for him and other presidents who flout and flagrantly abuse their office. This is a license for authoritarianism," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn).