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SCOTUS Chief Justice’s 2005 Comments About Presidential Immunity Resurface

The internet went wild Tuesday over clips of John Roberts’s 2005 Senate confirmation hearing.

Shortly after Supreme Court Justice John Roberts ruled in favor of giving Donald Trump immunity for crimes committed in an official capacity, an old clip resurfaced online of him saying during his 2005 Senate confirmation that the president is “fully bound” by the law and the Constitution. At the time, Roberts affirmed that not even the president is “above the law under our system.” The clip appears to contradict Monday’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision that Trump has immunity from some criminal prosecution for his role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Social media users were quick to call out the justice’s hypocrisy, with some asking if the Supreme Court itself is bound by the law. Trump’s legal team quickly seized on Roberts’ conflicting ruling, scoring a win when Manhattan prosecutors agreed to delay his sentencing in his case related to paying hush-money to adult video star Stormy Daniels until a different court can determine what is and isn’t an action committed in an official capacity.