Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., introduced a bill on Friday that would serve as a counterpunch to a Supreme Court ruling stipulating that Donald Trump was immune from prosecution for official acts during his presidency.
Schiff dubbed his bill the Investigative Integrity Protection Act, and it requires a three-judge panel to determine whether a president, or anyone acting on his or her behalf, would be able to dismiss criminal charges against him- or herself.
If passed, the legislation would also require a court to determine whether an attorney general was appointed for the purpose of dismissing charges against a president, and the U.S. Department of Justice would be asked to investigate such allegations and report its findings to Congress.
“Several years ago, we witnessed alarming attempts by a sitting president to obstruct justice and evade accountability,” Schiff said in a statement announcing the introduction of the bill, which was co-sponsored by seven Democrats.
The bill appears to be a reaction to protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and accusations that Trump sought to undermine the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in a legal case against him.
That case that was delayed with a Supreme Court ruling nearly three months ago stipulating that presidents are afforded criminal immunity for their official acts while in office, a decision that was widely derided by Democrats.
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