Pelosi tweet flagged for saying Trump could 'prove innocence' at trial

California Rep. Nancy Pelosi earned backlash this week for a tweet suggesting that former President Donald Trump could prove his innocence at trial after a grand jury voted to indict him.

"No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence," Pelosi tweeted Thursday. "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," she added.

American law presumes the innocence all persons facing charges until convicted in court.

Twitter's in-house Community Notes feature ultimately received enough user input to flag the post.

"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," it reads, while including a link to Cornell Law School's article on the presumption of innocence.

Republicans pounced on Pelosi's erroneous statement.

Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley excoriated Pelosi, saying "[t]he right to 'prove innocence'? This is America, not Stalinist Russia."

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, meanwhile, said "[t]his tweet—and the indictment it’s praising—is a mockery of our justice system."

Former RNC Chairwoman candidate Harmeet Dhillon, retweeted Pelosi, saying "[w]e don’t have to prove our innocence in America, Mrs. Pelosi."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.