An explosive detail in the US Constitution could prevent ex-President Donald Trump from returning to the White House. Legal experts and Democrats agree that a clause in the 14th Amendment could prevent him from running again in the first place.
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said the passage was a “strong argument” that Trump could be barred from participating in the lawsuit against him.
The pivot will likely be the attack on the US Capitol, which took place for “a specific purpose and at a specific time,” he told ABC News. It was about the “disruption of the peaceful takeover of power, as regulated in the constitution”, he sees the legal situation very clearly.
Involved in riots?
In particular, he refers to the third paragraph of the 14th Amendment in the US Constitution. No person shall hold office in the United States, civilian or military, who has previously taken an oath to abide by the Constitution of the United States as a member of Congress, as an officer of the United States, as a member of a state legislature power, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state and took part in an insurrection or insurrection against it, or rendered aid or assistance to its enemies.
Trump can hardly get around the clause if it would take a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives (similar to Austria) to scrap just this passage. But no such thing is in sight, Kaine told the Guardian.
Study supports assessment
The Democrat is certainly not alone in this assessment; more and more legal experts share his assessment. For example, a recent academic publication concludes: “Taking Section 3 seriously means that the constitutional exclusions from future state and federal office also apply to participants in the attempted subversion of the 2020 presidential election, including former President Donald Trump and others.”
As The Atlantic quotes other Harvard experts, the clause was written “to act directly and immediately against those who violate their oath to the Constitution, or take up arms to overthrow the government.” (…) by trying to influence a presidential election with a bloodless coup.”
Proceedings have hardly harmed Trump (so far).
The ex-president is currently facing four charges related to his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. Trump is the first ex-president in the history of the US. there is a so-called mugshot. In the most recent polls for the Republican primary, he is still well ahead of the other Republican presidential candidates.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
