House Judiciary markup debates bill to let presidents and some officers move state cases to federal court

Representative Tom Fry, sponsor of HR 1789, told the House Judiciary Committee the bill would give current and former presidents, vice presidents and other U.S. officers an option to move state criminal or civil prosecutions that "relate to any act while in office" into federal court and would codify certain immunity principles the sponsor said the Supreme Court has recognized. "The federal interests implicated by civil actions or criminal prosecutions brought against current or former presidents and vice presidents are pretty overwhelming," Fry said during the committee markup, adding that federal judges have life tenure and broader jury pools that can mitigate local political bias.

Opponents — led by the committee's Democratic members — said the bill would effectively shield presidents and other officials from prosecution for state crimes. "This bill is an autocratic Christmas tree designed to ensure that nobody in Trump's orbit ... is held accountable in state court," said…