McConnell has held to the opinion that presidents shouldn't be immune from criminal prosecution for actions taken while in office as he told NBC News in April. Post January 6, the Kentucky Republican pointed to the criminal justice system and civil litigation in explaining his no vote on impeachment.
Three years ago, the senator said, "Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office. As an ordinary citizen. Unless the statute of limitations is run, (he's) still liable for everything he did while he was in office."
Now the high court has found that presidents enjoy absolute immunity when it comes to exercising their core constitutional powers and a presumption of immunity for other, more peripheral official acts. Presidents do not have immunity for unofficial acts, the court said.
While critics have warned the decision is dangerously expansive, McConnell is choosing to focus on the aspect of the case that sends it back to a lower court.
"What the Supreme Court actually did was lay out the parameters but not apply them to this particular case. They sent it down to the lower courts to find facts, rather than making up facts that were not actually before the court yet," McConnell said on Tuesday. "So yes, I'm completely comfortable with it."
McConnell did not address how the courts ruling delays and complicates the pending legal cases against Trump.
