Members of Oregon’s Congressional delegations reacted along party lines to a Monday U.S. Supreme Court decision granting former President Donald Trump substantial immunity from prosecution on charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election.
Democrats derided the ruling as potentially harmful to democracy, while Republicans praised it as preventing politically motivated prosecutions.
The 6-3 decision could have wide-reaching implications for the breadth of presidential powers. Presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts but can face trial for private conduct, the high court ruled.
In a statement, Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden lambasted the high court as “nakedly partisan,” saying its decision “added to its sordid record of dangerous decisions that take a wrecking ball to the pillars of American democracy.”
He noted that the ruling came on the week of the Fourth of July holiday.
“The fact that this awful ruling comes the same week we celebrate Americans joining together 248 years ago to declare independence from monarchy makes today an especially egregious stain on this judicial institution the founders designed to check the concentration of power in one person,” Wyden said.
FILE: In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, a supporter of President Donald Trump gathers to protest in solidarity in Salem, Ore.
Paula Bronstein / AP
Sen. Jeff Merkley took a similar tone, saying in a statement that the Supreme Court “has been captured by billionaires and MAGA extremists.” He voiced concerns aligning with Justice Sonia Maria Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion, pointing out that a president’s “official acts” have yet to be defined by the courts.
“Absolutely shameful, and dangerous for our country,” Merkley said of the ruling.
For her part, Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer did not say how she felt about the ruling. Instead, her spokesperson, Aaron Britt, sent a text message to OPB.
“The congresswoman understands the Supreme Court’s decision and remains focused on working in a bipartisan manner to address the issues Oregon families are concerned about, like high grocery prices, health care, crime and drug use, and border security,” said Britt, who did not respond to a text message with follow-up questions.
Chavez-DeRemer, who has endorsed Donald Trump in his presidential bid, is facing Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum in the November election for the state’s 5th Congressional District seat. It’s a swing district that Chavez-DeRemer narrowly won in 2022. The race could decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bynum took Monday’s ruling as an opportunity to note that her opponent endorsed former President Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House. She also noted the court’s partisan leanings.
“Once again, Republicans like Lori Chavez-DeRemer have blindly rushed to defend a convicted felon rather than the interests of hardworking Oregonians, giving him a full throated endorsement,” Bynum said in a statement.
Joe Kent, a Republican candidate for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, disagreed with Democrats’ statements that the ruling places the president above the law, saying the government’s checks and balances prevent that. A retired Green Beret and ex-CIA officer, Kent was endorsed by Trump prior to losing the 2022 congressional election.
“I think overall it’s a good thing,” Kent said the ruling. “And I hope we stop this political prosecution that’s becoming a little too normal nowadays.”
A spokesperson for Kent’s opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The high court’s decision stemmed from a case against Trump charging him with plotting to subvert the 2020 election through his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, the day pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.
The court concluded that “the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office.” The ruling means Trump will likely avoid trial on those charges prior to the November election, and he could order the U.S. Justice Department to drop the charges if he’s elected.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, of Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, said “with ‘absolute’ immunity for official acts, the country will be vulnerable to the whims of an unaccountable president regardless of what actions are taken, what laws are violated, or what crimes are committed.”
“As a member of the legislative branch, I will do everything possible to defend the Constitution and restore balance and accountability,” Bonamici said.
A spokesperson for Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz did not immediately return a request for comment.