Donald Trump appealed to defend his “absolute immunity” against allegations of election fraud

That's what Trump said in a new appeal, which he hopes a second court will rule is unassailable in the investigation launched by special counsel Jack Smith, after a lower court ruled there was no reason to freeze the process.

In a brief filed Saturday, Magnet's attorneys asserted that Trump acted as president to “guarantee the integrity of the election.” According to the letter, obtained by CNN, they charged that “Congress should try and punish a president before the courts can judge his conduct on his own.”

The appeals court has scheduled a Jan. 9 hearing for each side to present these arguments after the Supreme Court declined to preemptively rule on the extent of Trump's immunity when he allegedly committed the crimes he is now committing. They blame him. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected the former president's claim of immunity on Dec. 1 and will preside over Trump's trial, scheduled for March 4, for conspiring to alter the results of the 2020 election.

For its part, Trump's defense has continued to seek to delay the trial until after the November 2024 elections, arguing that the former president enjoys “absolute immunity” and cannot be prosecuted for decisions he made while in the White House.

The 77-year-old Republican and favorite for the Republican presidential nomination was accused in August of trying to change the results of the November 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Followers vs. Capitals on January 6, 2021.