‘Judge Pan is insufferable’: Julie Kelly covers 3-judge panel ruling on presidential immunity in D.C.

by WorldTribune Staff, January 9, 2024

Florence Y. Pan, one of the judges on the panel ruling on Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim in his D.C. trial, was appointed by Joe Biden and is married to Max Stier, a Democrat Party activist and one of Brett Kavanaugh’s chief antagonists, investigative reporter Julie Kelly noted in coverage of Trump’s hearing on Tuesday.

Judge Florence Y. Pan

As The Washington Post noted in 2021, Pan has friends in high places: “In one of her first hearings Wednesday, Pan took over the politically sensitive lawsuit brought by 2016 Trump campaign adviser Carter Page against the FBI, Justice Department and several former officials alleging they unlawfully surveilled and investigated him during the FBI’s Russia probe. A D.C. veteran, Pan offered to recuse herself from the case, saying she has been friends with a lawyer for defendant Lisa Page, a former FBI attorney. Pan said she has known Page’s attorney, former Justice Department lawyer Amy Jeffress, for 27 years, attended her wedding, and met Page at a party.”

Kelly posted to X on Tuesday: “Judge Pan is insufferable. Dumb questions, constantly interrupting, superior.” Kelly added the Pan is one of the last judges “who should be deciding such an historic ruling with permanent consequences for the country.”

In a statement just minutes after his lawyer argued in court on Tuesday that he enjoys absolute immunity from his time as president, Donald Trump warned of “bedlam” if his prosecution is allowed to go forward.

“It’s very unfair when a political opponent is prosecuted by the DOJ, by Biden’s DOJ. So they’re losing in every poll, losing in almost every demographic…numbers came out today that are really very mind-boggling if you happen to be Joe Biden,” Trump said.

“And I think they feel this is the way they’re going to try and win and that’s not the way it goes. It’ll be Bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s a very bad precedent. As we said it’s the opening of a Pandora’s Box,” Trump added.

Trump’s lawyer John Lauro noted: “If we adopt what the Special Counsel wants, if we adopt what Biden wants, then we open the Pandora’s Box to political prosecution after political prosecution after political prosecution. In fact, Joe Biden could be prosecuted for trying to stop this man from becoming the next President of the United States.”

Trump then said Biden could be prosecuted for the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which came after a delayed departure date negotiated during the Trump administration.

“The lowest moment, I think, in the history of our country was Afghanistan – the way we withdrew. With shame. We surrendered. People were killed, 13 great soldiers killed…he [Biden] could be prosecuted for that. So you can’t have a president without immunity,” Trump said.

Then Trump brought out President Barack Obama’s ordering of drone strikes in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, “which were bad. They were mistakes, terrible mistakes.” Still, he said, “You really can’t put a president into that position. So I think most people understand and we feel very confident that eventually hopefully at this level, but eventually we win. A president has to have immunity.”

Investigative reporter Julie Kelly provided a rundown of the three-judge panel that is deciding Trump’s immunity claim in D.C. court.

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