Trump’s last chance? – The White House as a prison-free map

Donald Trump is due to appear in court next Tuesday. A circumstance which, due to the numerous accusations against the Es-US president, has become virtually meaningless. But Trump and his team probably marked the date in Miami, Florida in bold.

This time, the ex-president of the US is being summoned before a federal court – the 45th president of the United States risks correspondingly more drastic sentences. It deals with the illegal removal and storage of top secret documents after he was voted out.

Trump has bad cards
In a case of this quality, a report is usually only made once the public prosecutor’s office is certain that a conviction will follow. You could also say: Special Counsel Jack Smith has had one of the most delicate jobs in United States history for months.

The charges have not yet been made public. But Trump should be tried on seven counts. These include: willful withholding and unlawful possession of secret government documents, false testimony, conspiratorial conduct, and obstruction of justice. There is even evidence of witness manipulation.

100 years in prison?
Collecting, passing on or losing defense information is covered in the US by the so-called “Espionage Act” and is punishable by up to ten years in prison. It is possible that this violation is applied separately to each of the documents involved. Trump is accused of illegally storing hundreds of documents at his private residence, Mar-a-Lago. If convicted on all charges, the declared “self-made” man risks up to 100 years behind bars.

It’s a race against time for Trump. If he is convicted before the presidential election in November 2024, he should actually serve a prison sentence. However, according to the Constitution, nothing would stop him from running for the White House. Above all, the sentencing would have practical hurdles. It’s hard to campaign in a cell.

His legal team will now do everything they can to delay the process. Should Trump actually win against Joe Biden while the trial is still ongoing, he would once again enjoy immunity as commander in chief. He could also order the US Justice Department to drop federal lawsuits against him.

Another possibility would be for him to pardon himself. But that would be completely new territory politically and legally – as so often in the Trump case. Experts disagree on whether this is constitutionally possible.

The decisive factor time
The parquet must also be aware of the time factor. Trump will be tried in Miami. Which, at first glance, plays into his hands, since his MAGA move is extremely popular in the state of Florida. In the last presidential election, more than 50 percent of eligible voters voted for Trump. Accordingly, the composition of the jury should favor the 76-year-old.

But on closer inspection it becomes clear that the location was also chosen for tactical reasons. Florida’s Southern Judicial District is known for its speedy litigation. A verdict can be expected within six months, television station ABC reports, citing a prosecutor who used to work there – and it shouldn’t take longer.

Because Trump is a much sought-after man for the banks. The New York trial for falsifying documents related to hush money payments could disrupt Special Counsel Smith’s schedule. Here, the date is already dated to the end of March 2024. Trump’s lawyers could argue that it would be unfair to hold the second trial immediately afterwards due to the lack of time to prepare.

That the gait is particularly aggressive seems to indicate that nervousness in the Trump camp is likely to be high. Even before the indictment became official, Trump was already busy with his money laundering. With an angry video statement on his social media platform “Truth Social”, he tried to gain authority over his fate: “I am an innocent man.”

Republicans are calling for protests
The Republican party leadership also – despite all the accusations – continues to submit to their ‘president’ and immediately places him above the law. The most powerful Republican on paper, Kevin McCarthy, speaks of a “sad day for the United States of America”. In a tweet, he suggested that Joe Biden was personally behind the charges — denying the independence of the American judiciary.

“I and every American who believes in the rule of law stand with President Trump against this grave injustice,” McCarthy said. The conspiracy circle around Republican MP Majorie Taylor Greene is also calling for a “witch hunt” against their chosen savior Trump and calling for protests. Florida police have already been alerted.

Will special counsel Jack Smith bring down Trump?
With the impeachment of Trump, the stakes for the upcoming US election have increased significantly. For Trump, it is now about nothing but his own freedom. Because a more fatal attack is likely to come in the future: the storming of the Capitol (see image above).

And at the latest there would be a layer in the shaft. Under an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no one who has taken an oath to the Constitution and participated in an insurrection or rebellion against it may be president. And coincidentally, the special investigator’s name is Jack Smith. Trump’s prospects could hardly be more bleak.