Despite having spent most of her adult life involved in the US government in one way or another, California Congresswoman “Nasty” Nancy Pelosi must not understand how the American justice system works, as she just tweeted that Trump would have his day in court to prove his innocence. That’s the exact opposite of how the American justice system, under which one is innocent until proven guilty, works.
In the tweet, Pelosi said, “The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”
The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law.
No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.
Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 31, 2023
A community fact check hammered that tweet, saying, “Ms. Pelosi mistakenly says that Trump can prove his innocence at trial. Law in the US assumes the innocence of a defendant and the prosecution must prove guilt for a conviction.”
The fact check linked to an article by the Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute which said:
A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is assumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty. As such, a prosecutor is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person committed the crime if that person is to be convicted. To do so, proof must be shown for every single element of a crime. That being said, a presumption of innocence does not guarantee that a person will remain free until their trial has concluded. In some circumstances, a person can be held in custody.
The presumption of innocence is not guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. However, through statutes and court decisions–such as the U.S. Supreme Court case of Taylor v. Kentucky–it has been recognized as one of the most basic requirements of a fair trial.
And it wasn’t just the fact-check that ripped into Nasty Nancy. Many conservative commentators did so as well.
Donald Trump Jr., for instance, said, “A right to “prove innocence?” Ummmm … that’s not how it works drunk lady… after spending the last few millennia in DC I would have thought you’d know that. Apparently getting away with insider trading and making millions as a “public servant” (LOL) gave you a false sense of The Law!”
Joining him, Fox News Channel contributor Dan Bongino said, “When the embarrassing former Speaker flunks Constitution 101. What a tool. 👇🏻”
Similarly, Eric Matheny said, “We’ve devolved so much into third world nation status it’s reasonable to conclude that the idea of presumption of innocence would be lost upon a government parasite like Pelosi.”
The Washington Examiner’s Byron York said, “The former Speaker’s view of how trials work is a little flawed…”
Joining them was journalist Alex Berenson, who said, “Should we be worried the former Speaker of the House has no idea how the law works? Innocent until proven guilty, it’s a thing. Or just happy she is tweeting for herself despite her advanced age? (No staffer would have made this mistake…)“
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