Republican group pushing back on Trump immunity claim in $2M campaign

A group called Republicans for the Rule of Law launched a $2 million ad campaign Friday pushing back on former President Trump’s claim that he has absolute immunity from being prosecuted for his actions surrounding the 2020 presidential election.

The advertisements feature 25 conservatives explaining why they favor the rule of law over absolute immunity.

According to a press release from the group, the ad campaign will be focused in 12 states where “the immunity argument has been least available,” including Alabama and Texas, and states that “are directly impacted by these arguments,” including Georgia and Pennsylvania.

The ads will air on digital and streaming platforms through June 23, the organization said.

“Our constitutional system is predicated on legal accountability and equal justice under the law, even for presidents and past presidents,” Sarah Longwell, the executive director of Republicans for the Rule of Law, said in a statement. “Conservatives feel this in our bones: No man or woman is above the law. In this case, that means rejecting the ‘absolute immunity’ claim.”

In April, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether Trump could have presidential immunity from criminal prosecution in his federal Jan. 6 case. The former president is asserting that a president has absolute immunity for official acts while in office.

His attorneys are arguing that those protections extend to his efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Biden.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the coming weeks.

The justices appeared to be open to some presidential immunity for Trump, which could have impacts on the criminal cases against him and further slow down his trials.

Last week, the former president made history after a jury convicted him of all 34 counts in his hush money trial in New York.