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Donald Trump Says he now faces a second impeachment – at a time when he prepares for another term in the White House.
The former president announced on Truth Social on June 8 that he has been indicted by a grand jury for handling classified documents after leaving the White House — less than a year after the Justice Department seized classified papers at his home. Got cash. Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
Less than two months ago, he became the first former or current president to face criminal charges on March 30, when a Manhattan grand jury indicted adult film star Stormy Daniels on criminal charges over furlough money payments dating back to 2016. But voted to impeach him. presidential election. He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in that case. Regarding falsifying business records To cover up an alleged plan to illegally influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about him.
and less than a month ago, A Manhattan federal jury found on May 9 that Mr Trump committed sexual abuse Eli magazine columnist E Jean Carroll In a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the 1990s. Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then “destroying” her reputation after she accused him of lying about the encounter, claiming she was not his “type”. Was.
Now that Mr. Trump has not one but two indictments on top of his losses in Ms. Carroll’s case, what does his political future look like?
Can Trump Still Run For President?
In short, yes. The U.S. Constitution does not bar anyone who has been indicted or convicted of a felony, or even is currently serving a prison sentence, from running for or winning the presidency.
Even though Mr. Trump has been tried and convicted in one of the so-called “speedy trials,” he has repeatedly praised China’s government for its handling of drug-crime cases, yet he has been released from prison. May run the entirety of his presidential campaign.
It’s much less clear what would happen if he won in that scenario.
Just as there is no restriction in the Constitution on a person running under indictment, there is no explanation as to what should happen in the event of a win.
There is nothing in the document that would automatically relieve Mr. Trump of prison time, except for the possibility that any charges brought by federal authorities, were they still being litigated at the point he filed a second indictment. assumed the presidency, was removed by the Justice Department for refusing to prosecute the current president.
In Ms Carroll’s case, Mr Trump did not face any jail time as it was a civil trial.
The state-level charges being filed by Mr. Bragg in the Manhattan case are very intriguing and would fall outside Mr. Trump’s future presidential pardon power if they result in a conviction.
Trump’s election victory, as well as a conviction on the state charges, are likely to lead to a massive legal battle to determine whether there was any way for the former president to opt out of time served.
If Mr. Trump were unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment (for the third time in history) or removal via the 25th Amendment, which allows the cabinet to remove a president who fails in his duties. unable to follow.
The Presidency has many duties and accoutrements that it would be unable to accomplish from just a prison cell, viewing classified material just to name one.
Any possible conviction of Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility.
But the conversation he has launched with his bid for the presidency, despite facing two indictments and multiple criminal investigations, has already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much more real space, as many Experts never thought they would live to see it.
This story was updated on June 8, 2023 to reflect new developments