Supreme Court Move 'Not a Good Thing' for Donald Trump: George Conway

Above, a photo of Donald Trump alongside SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts on February 4, 2020 in Washington, D.C. George Conway argued on Saturday that the Supreme Court’s decision to hear Trump’s presidential immunity claims might not end up benefitting him.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to take up Donald Trump’s immunity claim could backfire on him politically, according to lawyer George Conway.

On Wednesday, the Court agreed to hear arguments pertaining to Trump’s claims that he is immune from criminal prosecution for anything he did while serving as president. The argument, which has raised eyebrows and drawn criticism from numerous legal experts, was put forward by his legal team in an effort to have his federal election interference trial dismissed. The claim was previously shot down by a Washington, D.C., appeals court, leading to it being brought before the Supreme Court.

In August, the former president was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in its investigation regarding the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The investigation centered around the riot, which saw a mob of Trump supporters—allegedly incited by his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud— violently protest at the Capitol building in a failed effort to block Joe Biden’s 2020 Electoral College victory.

Trump was indicted on four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

As part of the decision from the highest court in the land, the case has been ordered to halt until a ruling is made, preventing it from going to trial. Arguments are set to begin the week of April 22, which would allow a ruling to be made sometime in June. Many observers have said that this move by the Court has played directly into Trump’s hands, as he has long been accused of plotting to delay his various criminal trials until after the 2024 presidential election. As the GOP frontrunner, it is suspected that he hopes to use presidential authority to have the case dismissed if he’s reelected.

During a Saturday appearance on MSNBC, Conway, a noted anti-Trump conservative and co-founder of The Lincoln Project political action committee (PAC), suggested that this move by the Court might not actually be to Trump’s benefit in the end. In delaying the trial, he argued, the move increased the likelihood that the case might go to trial closer to the general election in November, which could hurt him in the eyes of voters.

“Politically it’s not helpful for Donald Trump,” Conway said. “Sometimes in litigation, you lose by getting what you asked for. What he has asked for in the January 6th case is delay, delay, but he may not get enough delay. The Supreme Court took this case and, probably not to delay the case, but they probably think they have something to add to the law in this area. There are multiple motions that Donald Trump has been making both in Georgia and Florida that may be, you know, the guidance could be helpful to the Supreme Court.”

He added: “But the end result would be, we are going to get a decision, the case is still expedited, the appeal to the Supreme Court is still expedited. We will get a decision by the end of June, maybe even earlier. If that is true, you do the math: you get a trial in August, September, October and that is not a good thing for Donald Trump. It would be better to get it over with, frankly, even with a conviction.”

Recent polls have indicated that a criminal conviction for Trump could see a large number of voters abandon their support for him in favor of President Joe Biden, particularly in key swing states. A January poll conducted by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult found that 53 percent of respondents in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin would not vote for Trump if he was convicted. Trump, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty to all of the criminal charges currently leveled against him, claiming that they are politically motivated attempts to harm his reelection chances.

Speaking with Newsweek on Saturday, Dave Aronberg, a Florida state attorney and legal expert, expressed doubts about Conway’s prediction and said that the Court’s decision could still ultimately be more beneficial to Trump.

“It would have been better for the Supreme Court to stay out of this, rather than delay the inevitable,” he said. “My fear is that they will issue a ruling that directs the district court to make specific evidentiary findings, which will slow down this case further and kill any chance of a verdict before the election. I appreciate George Conway’s silver lining, but I think the SCOTUS decision did more to harm, rather than help, the rule of law.”

Updated 3/2/24, 5:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Aronberg.

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