Former President Donald Trump took a loss from a federal judge on Tuesday over his attempt to hide critical documents from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The twice-impeached one-term President has tried to claim executive privilege to hide the documents. Still, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkanm reminded Trump that he is not the sitting President. Trump, of course, has not conceded the race he lost to President Joe Biden over a year ago, but he just got a reality check from the judge, who also reminded the former guy that he is not a king. And Trump really did think he was king as President.
“Plaintiff does not acknowledge the deference owed to the incumbent President’s judgment,” the judge wrote. “His position that he may override the express will of the executive branch appears to be premised on the notion that his executive power ‘exists in perpetuity. But Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President. He retains the right to assert that his records are privileged, but the incumbent President ‘is not constitutionally obliged to honor’ that assertion.”
Twitter users took notice of the strongly-worded decision.
My favorite part of Judge Chutkan’s decision: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President. He retains the right to assert that his records are privileged, but the incumbent President ‘is not constitutionally obliged to honor’ that assertion.” https://t.co/MtjA7YYyTJ
— Steven Beschloss (@StevenBeschloss) November 10, 2021
This paragraph has gotta hurt pic.twitter.com/FTJ4TRM7EL
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) November 10, 2021
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“But Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.” – Judge Chutkan
That is the line that buries Trump’s lawsuit. He’s a loser who lost and no longer has the powers of the Office of the Presidency.
Biden is President. Biden has that power now.
Get over it.
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) November 10, 2021
“Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President,” Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in her November 9 ruling properly rejecting Trump’s baseless claims of executive privilege.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 10, 2021
Judge Chutkan quotes Trump’s tweets fomenting the insurrection! A real throwback🥲 https://t.co/S3JP1lhuxc pic.twitter.com/f4J3NpIkA1
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 10, 2021
The judge does not mess around.
NEW: Trump made a bizarre late-night legal request to block the National Archives from delivering documents to Jan. 6 investigators.
The judge, awake at midnight, rejected it right away. A 🤔 moment:https://t.co/7sfdr9SIWd
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 9, 2021
No other president has blatantly tried to overturn democracy because he didn’t want to vacate the White House.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
