What could possibly go wrong? Of course, he could be convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records.
This presidential campaign has punched through the doorway into the Trump Legal Universe, which is similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, except it’s real. If you’re like me, you’ve heard a lot about how unprecedented and very strange it is that a leading Republican presidential candidate could be criminally charged and ousted in an election year. You may never have spent time on it. To prison. That will become clear soon.
It’s another story when Mr. Trump and the company that bears his name face huge civil penalties, as in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case and the New York lawsuit against the Trump Organization. It’s quite another to see Trump’s very freedom threatened – not by “election interference” as Trump and his lawyers insist, but by Trump’s own alleged misconduct. .
And we’re going to see this almost non-stop spectacle of Trump being put in criminal and civil jeopardy.
On Thursday in New York, Mr. Trump sat with a grim expression on his face as Judge Juan Marchan set a late March date for jury selection in Mr. Trump’s trial. The charges, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, stem from allegations that Trump paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
“We vehemently disagree. …President Trump will spend the next two months working on this case instead of campaigning,” said Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer in the case. expressed dissatisfaction.
“What is your legal claim?” Machan asked.
“This is my legal argument,” Blanche said.
“That’s not a legal argument,” Marchand replied. End of discussion.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Judge Scott McAfee announced Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who indicted Trump on 13 felonies for allegedly conspiring to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, and Nathan Willis, an outside attorney hired by Willis. He was hearing testimony about his personal relationship with Wade. To assist in the prosecution of cases.
At issue is when Willis and Wade began dating and whether their romance was misrepresented to the judge and constituted a conflict of interest. Mr. McAfee could even disqualify Mr. Willis and his office from the case, which would force them to find another prosecutor and significantly delay the trial.
But back in New York, Judge Arthur Engoron is scheduled to rule as early as Friday in a civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump and his company. She asked that Engoron be fined $370 million and that President Trump and the Trump Organization be prohibited from doing business on New York property.
And in Washington, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan concluded Trump’s trial on felony charges based on his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, ending Marchan’s trial in her courtroom. It is likely to be scheduled to start immediately. The timing depends on whether the Supreme Court decides to consider President Trump’s claim of “absolute immunity,” which a panel of appeals courts dismissed as completely moot.
So far, Trump is trying to turn all this into assets. As he claimed in his social media posts, he portrays himself as the victim of a “political witch hunt directed by Biden with the aim of interfering with the election.” And Republican voters seem to agree.
But while an NBC News national poll this month showed Trump leading President Biden 47% to 42% among registered voters, when asked which candidate they would support if they became president, It also found that Biden had a 45% to 43% lead. He was convicted of a felony. A Bloomberg poll also found that 53% of voters in seven key battleground states said they would not vote for Trump “if he is convicted.” .
If President Trump truly believed that it would be politically beneficial for him to sit in the defense seat and be held accountable in court, he would try so hard to delay all criminal trials until after the election. No way.
Nikki Haley is President Trump’s last remaining challenger for the Republican nomination. Warning on Thursday X (Old Twitter) “All this chaos will only lead to more losses for Republicans up and down the ticket.” Her party may not listen, but she may be right.