Donald Trump is under investigation for a hush money case. Will this case mean his exit from politics? or will he comeback stronger? Donald Trump is a very known figure in the politics of America, also served as the President of America until Joe Biden succeeded him. He has always been under fire for a case or two. His reputation is considerably not the cleanest. Let us understand first what this hush money case is all about.
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Hush- Money Case
A grand jury indicted the former president in the hush money payments case just days before he was arraigned in court. He is preparing to defend himself in court and in front of the public as the first American president to face a criminal accusation. On Tuesday, April 4, former US President Donald Trump made an official court appearance in Manhattan, where he was accused in a case involving hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. Trump, who was accused of falsifying corporate records on 34 criminal counts, entered a not-guilty plea and refuted all of the charges. I never believed anything like this could happen in America, I never imagined it could happen, the former President remarked in a speech to his family, friends, and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, just after the court hearing. The only crime I’ve committed is defending our country bravely against those who want to do it harm. It’s an insult to our country, he continued. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who filed the charges against Trump, said in a statement that during the race, Trump and others used a “capture and kill” strategy to find, acquire, and bury damaging material about him in order to improve his chances of winning. Next, Trump went to tremendous measures to conceal this behaviour, creating dozens of fictitious entries in corporate documents to cover up criminal activity like attempts to break state and federal election laws.
Will Trump Be Put Behind The Bars?
It’s still not obvious. According to Article 175 of the New York Criminal Law, 34 felonies of fabricating business documents have been filed against Trump. He would be subject to a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison if found guilty, which might be served consecutively at the rate of four years for each offence. The Washington Post said that there is no obligatory prison sentence associated with the charge. “Even if convicted on all counts, Trump would not necessarily face jail time,” it was further stated. Legal experts say it’s unclear if the former president and 2024 White House hopeful would receive a prison sentence if found guilty because he is a first-time offender with no prior convictions. A grand jury Indicted the former president in the hush money payments case just days before he was arraigned in court. Being the first American president to be accused with a crime, he would reportedly defend himself in court and in front of the public.
Will Trump still be able run in the next elections?
Certainly, yes. Trump can still run for president in 2024 despite being charged and even found guilty in the hush money case. According to experts, there is nothing in the US Constitution that would preclude him from running because there are only three requirements for candidates: they must be US citizens by birth, be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the country for at least 14 years. Trump would become only the third presidential candidate in American history to continue his campaign despite being found guilty. Business Insider claims that two prior candidates, Eugene V. Debs in 1920 and Lyndon LaRouche in 1992, also ran while being jailed. Debs represented the Socialist Party in five presidential elections throughout the early 20th century. He was imprisoned under the nickname “prisoner 9653” after being found guilty of sedition in 1918 and sentenced for speaking out against the United States’ involvement in World War I. In 1920, Debs “ran for president and received over 3% of the national vote, with roughly a million ballots cast for him,” according to Vox. On the other hand, LaRouche ran for president in 1992 while he was incarcerated in connection with a tax evasion and mail fraud case. According to Business Insider, LaRouche shifted to the National Economic Recovery ticket when Bill Clinton won the primary, running a campaign centred around reforming the global banking and financial systems. In the end, he won the race with over 26,000 votes, or around 0.02% of the vote.
What Other Things Donald Trump Faces Criminal Charges For In The Past?
Former President Donald Trump has faced numerous criminal charges both before and after his time in office. Here is an overview of some of the charges he has faced: Impeachment: Donald Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, first in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and second in 2021 on charges of incitement of insurrection for his role in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. However, he was acquitted in both the cases.
- Financial Crimes: Trump has faced allegations of financial crimes, including tax fraud, bank fraud, and insurance fraud. In 2018, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. Cohen also alleged that Trump inflated his net worth to obtain loans and reduce his tax liability.
- Sexual Misconduct: Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, including allegations of sexual assault and rape. In 2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump denied the allegations and claimed he had never met Carroll, despite photographic evidence of them together.
- Obstruction of Justice: Trump has faced allegations of obstructing justice during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election. In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report detailed several instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump, including attempts to fire Mueller and pressure witnesses to lie or withhold information.
- State-level Investigations: Several state-level investigations are ongoing into Trump’s business practices and financial dealings. The New York Attorney General’s office is investigating whether Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, committed tax fraud by inflating the value of their properties. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is investigating possible bank and insurance fraud related to the Trump Organization’s financial statements.
