Will Americans elect a president who rules from prison? In this case, can Donald Trump pardon himself? These questions that a few years ago seemed far-fetched are no longer the case.
Even if found guilty one of the charges against him And if he ends up in jail, Trump can run for president. He is currently innocent of the crimes charged against him.
But the indictment is a serious step in the US criminal process. There is no doubt that this process was followed meticulously, given that the person in question was the former President of the United States.
Trump believes he can turn the charges against him in his favour. The Republican Party is uniting behind him. Even his closest rival for the nomination, Ron DeSantis, backs him on this issue.
1. What is Trump accused of?
The charges against Trump are not yet known. However, Trump will face about 30 counts. They are said to be related to paying US$130,000 in 2016 to pornographic actress Stormy Daniel, in exchange for his silence about an extramarital affair with her, 10 years prior. Trump can be accused of concealing that it was an election expense as well as falsifying his company’s books to conceal this election offense. He faces four years in prison. Trump is in the crosshairs of justice in many other cases. These include: document stashes at Mar-a-Lago, including 100 top-secret documents; incitement to insurrection on January 6, 2021; Attempt to bribe an election official.
2. How does an indictment work in the United States?
A grand jury decides on the official indictment of persons. It generally consists of 23 persons before whom the public prosecutor explains the reasons for filing a formal indictment. There is no judge and the jury decides the indictment by simple majority. The defense has limited rights in this process. In this case, Trump sent attorney Robert Costello to testify on his behalf.
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3. Why does Trump play the political card?
Trump has few legal arguments to present. Accounting manipulations, especially for undisclosed expenses, are taken very seriously by the judiciary.
4. How is Trump dangerous to the judicial establishment?
The American justice system is supposed to be independent of political power. This is why Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, even though the process for appointing them has become highly political. The crime that Trump is expected to be charged with on Tuesday is not of a purely political nature, but criminal in nature. However, Trump is trying to discredit the justice system by suggesting that it is subject to political leaders. It’s an outright lie, but many Americans will believe it.
- Listen to Benoit Dutrizac’s Loic Tassé column on international politics at Mic Benoit Dutrizac at QUB Radio :
5. Is it dangerous for other institutions?
Trump adopts the same logic of rebellion he used on December 6, 2021. He calls on the population to rebel against institutions that may be corrupt and in the hands of his opponents. In fact, it follows the logic of dictators who, by manipulating part of their population, circumvent institutions or change the constitution to stay in power. The blind support of the main leaders of the Republican Party shows how ready these people are to conquer power.
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