Two years later donald trump He left office after a bloody attack on the country’s capital. may be criminally prosecuted.
The impending indictment had nothing to do with the attack on a congressional seat that left dozens of officers injured and traumatized, and in 2016 a lawyer at the time accused her and Trump of having an affair. The former president himself announced the impending arrests and indictments in a post on Truth Social early Saturday.
“The far-flung Republican front-runner and former president of the United States will be arrested next Tuesday,” Trump gushed, in all caps.
The former president has long denied having an affair with Daniels, but months after the payment was reported, he admitted to reimbursing his lawyers for hush money.
He is now set to be indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mr. Bragg’s office said he would jump into the case again in 2022, and it was only recently his January investigation that placed a grand jury.
So what happens next in this unprecedented case?
Public place
Like any high-profile lawsuit, Trump’s potential criminal prosecution has been slow-moving and marked by constant battle. Expect Trump to oppose prosecution every step of the way. There are motions to dismiss, allegations of wrongdoing directed against Mr. Bragg and perhaps a judge, and a knockdown and dragout battle over allegations that have been publicly known for a decade. Half a year. He may appeal to Florida authorities to contest extradition to New York, but that is unlikely to succeed. ex-president cooperates if he is prosecuted. “At Mar-a-Lago, there is no conflict between the Secret Service and the Manhattan DA office,” he said.
Trump will ultimately face arraignment, which will likely be in person in Manhattan. This is the first of many hearings Trump may have to actually appear in court, causing media spectacle every time he appears. Each appearance is endlessly analyzed by the cable news network, culled for clues about the former president’s mood and confidence in defeating the charges.
How will this affect Trump’s campaign?
This lawsuit could affect Mr. Trump himself in two ways: time and money. Trump will need a lawyer to defend him in court — a real lawyer instead of the amateur hour spectacle that was his legal team in 2020. Not one of those political operatives willing to defend a bogus conspiracy and suffer serious damage to their respective careers as a result, it’s a serious problem for costly and powerful defense attorneys. Expect to be forced to divert significant amounts of his various military stockpiles to fund new legal defense efforts.
There is also the issue of time. Don’t expect judges to be very lenient about rescheduling court appearances to make room for Trump’s campaign rallies. While Trump is unlikely to miss major events like the Republican primary debates (which usually happen at night anyway), frequent trips to and from Manhattan would be costly, time-consuming, and intrusive. Using Mr. Trump’s ability to host election rallies across the country at any time he could.
How will his Republican opponents react?
Expect each Republican to handle this differently. We may join in and denounce the accusations as wrongful accusations that are the result of a Democratic district attorney weaponizing his office to pursue his enemies.
Those who really want to dethrone Trump, like Ron DeSantis of Florida, will get a good handle on this issue and try to cudgel him against him. There is plenty of room for Republicans to make fun of former leaders. Stormy Daniels talk about his employment or Michael Cohen Despite later accusing the man of being a liar, his ever-changing accounts of when he learned of the refund, and Rudy Giuliani’s bizarre explanation, Mr. Trump gave the former attorney the money to make the payment. was “infused”.
Trump has long crafted a narrative of political persecution, and this will be tough on Republicans as charges brought by law enforcement, let alone those controlled by Democrats, fit nicely. I guess.
How will this affect the general election?
Even if Trump made it through the Republican primary and a potential rival couldn’t pull him away, the problem of appealing to a national audience still remains.
Potential indictments pose two problems for Mr. Trump. Trump’s battle for political power has always been fought on his two fronts. One, revitalizing the far-right Republican constituency that won the 2016 Republican primary, absent in past elections; is to acquire. of issues in which the economy often occupies too much weight.
First, the issue of prosecution against Mr. Trump could demoralize his most ardent supporters. We watched it play out in Georgia after Trump lost the general election in early 2021 and his party lost his two Senate seats in the runoff vote. Trump supporters were dissuaded by the leader’s own allegations of voter suppression and election fraud, staying more at home and allowing the Democrats to emerge victorious outright. The same effect could occur in November 2024 if we lean too much into the idea that
And let’s not forget the nonpartisan demographic. Unless the economy deteriorates significantly between now and his 2024 election, independent voters will have an interesting option. Will they stick with Joe Biden? He’s an aging but seemingly chaotic president, overseeing America’s economic recovery from Covid-19, but he remains out of the news headlines most days and out of control of reality TV shows. After four years, is it a relief for many Americans? Or will they turn the reins back on Donald Trump? By all accounts, swearing bloody revenge against Mr. Biden and his rivals in the National Republican Party, he is now back in national politics.
One thing is predictable. The indictment of Stormy Daniels means that electing Mr. Trump means accepting the burden that comes with him, a prospect far too serious to consider given other criminal investigations, and the undecided view of America. It’s just a reminder. The U.S. Justice Department continues to pursue the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election through his January 6th.
While there is little guarantee that Mr. Trump will be brought to justice, let alone convicted or face meaningful punishment, the political weight of the case itself is far more real. In the end, that may be the real result of Trump’s actions: Trump’s actions at a time when he is at his most vulnerable and facing his first real challenge to control politics. A seemingly unbearable burden that can pull aspirations back into reality. His party six months later.
