With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear arguments in the case of the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to remove former President Trump from the ballot for “insurrection” despite not being found guilty on Thursday, ABC’s Good Morning America was fearful that the conservative Supreme Court would side with Trump and “decide” the 2024 election like they supposedly did in 2000. Chief Washington Correspondent Jon Karl tried to quell their fears and hoped for a “unanimous” decision.
“They're going to hear arguments about whether former President Trump can be banned from the ballot for his actions surrounding January 6th,” announced former Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos.
Despite the fact that trials were still ongoing and Trump had yet to be found guilty of committing “insurrection” against the United States, Senior national correspondent and noted Trump hater, Terry Moran claimed that Trump not only did Trump “incite” the rioters but participated in the attack himself:
Should Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including his participation in the attack on the Capitol, his incitement of that attack on January 6th, keep him off the 2024 presidential ballot? And this all comes down to one clause in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution passed right after the Civil War, which holds that no person who has previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection can hold public office afterwards.
“The Colorado Supreme Court, in the case brought by six voters there, took a look at that clause and ruled that Trump must be removed from the ballot in that state. In Maine, the secretary of state did the same thing. And other states are considering it, too,” he hyped before weakly admitting that, “other states have rejected the idea.”
Following Moran’s report, Stephanopoulos invoked Bush v. Gore and claimed the Supreme Court “decided the 2000 election” and was the source of most of his fears in 2024.
FACT CHECK: False. Multiple recounts, including one by the liberal Miami Herald, found that President George W. Bush did win Florida.
Karl conceded that, on the surface, Stephanopoulos did have cause for concern since “this Supreme Court is a conservative court.” “Three Trump justices. It's a court that's been mired in some controversy,” he added.
But Karl attempted to quell his colleague's fear by noting times they ruled against Trump:
But while it is a conservative court, this has not been a Trump court. In fact, this court has repeatedly ruled against Donald Trump or shown Independence from him. Think about it. Trump expected his justices, as he considered his justice, to help him overturn the election results. They rejected the efforts in that Texas case in December of 2020. The January 6th Committee wanted his White House records. Trump went all the way to the Supreme Court to try to block them from getting them. The Supreme Court ruled for the January 6th Committee. They even ruled prior to that to allow Congress to get his tax records.
“So, the court has shown real independence from Trump,” Karl reassured Stephanopoulos. “You know, looking at this, let's hope this decision is not one that breaks down on party lines.”
Noting that there was still the case about whether or not presidents had absolute immunity, which Trump promised to take to SCOTUS, Karl proclaimed: “Two unanimous decisions would be nice.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
February 8, 2024
7:02:32 a.m. EasternGEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: First, it’s a historic day at the Supreme Court. They're going to hear arguments about whether former President Trump can be banned from the ballot for his actions surrounding January 6th. Senior national correspondent Terry Moran is at the Supreme Court. Good morning, Terry.
TERRY MORAN: Good morning, George. The justices will hear the arguments in this monument case, the biggest elections case since Bush vs. Gore back in 2000. The question: Should Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including his participation in the attack on the Capitol, his incitement of that attack on January 6th, keep him off the 2024 presidential ballot?
And this all comes down to one clause in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution passed right after the Civil War, which holds that no person who has previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection can hold public office afterwards.
The Colorado Supreme Court, in the case brought by six voters there, took a look at that clause and ruled that Trump must be removed from the ballot in that state. In Maine, the secretary of state did the same thing. And other states are considering it, too. While still other states have rejected the idea.
(…)
7:04:21 a.m. Eastern
STEPHANOPOULOS: Terry brought up the Bush v. Gore case which decided the 2000 election. In some ways, this is far more consequential than that.
JON KARL: This is a huge moment for the Supreme Court. It is a huge moment for the country. And look, George, this Supreme Court is a conservative court. Three Trump justices. It's a court that's been mired in some controversy. But while it is a conservative court, this has not been a Trump court. In fact, this court has repeatedly ruled against Donald Trump or shown Independence from him.
Think about it. Trump expected his justices, as he considered his justice, to help him overturn the election results. They rejected the efforts in that Texas case in December of 2020. The January 6th Committee wanted his White House records. Trump went all the way to the Supreme Court to try to block them from getting them. The Supreme Court ruled for the January 6th Committee. They even ruled prior to that to allow Congress to get his tax records. So, the court has shown real independence from Trump.
You know, looking at this, let's hope this decision is not one that breaks down on party lines.
STEPHANOPOULOS: No question what you're saying is true. But this is also a court that is not going to be eager to appear to decide the 2024 election.
KARL: I mean, absolutely not. And think about how long we saw the repercussions from the Bush v. Gore case, which was so controversial and made the court seen as so much more of a partisan body.
And John Robert, Chief Justice Roberts, clearly made it clear that he wants the court to be not seen as yet not another political institution. He talks about how, you know, there aren't Trump justices or Bush justices or Obama justices. There are judges of the law. So, yes, he is not going to want to get mired in this. He's not the only one.
So yes, Trump is going to try to go to the Supreme Court almost certainly. He said he's going to appeal the question of whether or not he has absolute immunity. So, you could have two cases central to this election, absolutely central to this election decided by this Supreme Court.
STEPHANOPOULOS: See if they can come up with some kind of balancing there.
KARL: I mean, two unanimous decisions would be nice.
