'I don’t believe anybody deserves absolute immunity': Republican senators oppose Trump’s claim

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) talks to reporters outside the Republican Whip's office at the U.S. Capitol on February 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

When the US Supreme Court agreed to hear Donald Trump's argument that he should enjoy absolute immunity from federal prosecution — specifically in special counsel Jack Smith's January 6 election interference case against him — many legal experts slammed the court as biased towards the MAGA hopeful.

After the high court heard oral arguments for Trump's claim last month, NBC News' Lawrence Hurley and Ryan J. Reilly wrote, "Although the court appears likely to reject Trump's expansive claim of absolute immunity, it could remand the case for further proceedings, making it less likely that a trial would take place before the election."

CNN's Manu Raju on Monday shared to X (formerly Twitter) a clip from his recent interviews with several GOP senators regarding their thoughts on the MAGA hopeful's immunity claim.

READ MORE: 'Framers would be rolling over': Historian explains 'absurdity' of Trump’s immunity claim

"GOP senators disagree with Trump claim he has 'absolute immunity,'" Raju wrote.

Mediate reports the Raju noted during a CNN appearance that a decision in favor of Trump's argument "could essentially block two federal criminal cases that he is now facing."

One Republican lawmaker who doesn't agree with the ex-president's claim is senior Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC).

"I don’t believe anybody deserves absolute immunity," the North Carolina GOP leader said. "You know, the fact of the matter is the last thing I want to do. That sounds a whole lot like the position we got rid of when we fought the Revolutionary War. Kings have absolute immunity. I don’t believe presidents should."

READ MORE: How Trump’s presidential immunity claims could backfire and imperil Republicans: analysis

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) added, "If a president ordered the assassination of Manu Raju. I don’t think they should be held immune."

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