Four trials, hardly any consequences What will become of the criminal proceedings against Trump?
An ex-president on trial in four criminal cases - never before in US history. Now Trump is moving back into the White House. This also has an impact on the ongoing trials against him.
07.11.2024, 00:00
07.11.2024, 04:43
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- Never before has a US president been involved in criminal proceedings - the now re-elected Donald Trump has been indicted four times.
- With his return to the White House, Trump's legal worries are largely over.
- In addition to a charge of attempted electoral fraud, Trump is also accused at federal level of unlawfully storing highly sensitive information from his time in office as president in private rooms.
- In the state of Georgia, Trump has also been charged with attempting to influence the 2020 election - along with several co-defendants.
- Trump has already been found guilty of 34 charges relating to the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages during the 2016 election campaign.
The victorious Republican Donald Trump has been charged in four criminal proceedings - and even convicted in New York for concealing hush money payments. However, Trump has already proven that he is a master of delay and obstruction in legal matters. Several proceedings against him are already on the back burner. With Trump's re-election to the White House, the trials are now likely to collapse like a house of cards. An overview:
The proceedings in Washington on attempted electoral fraud
Trump has been charged in Washington in connection with attempted election fraud and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. These are the most serious charges against the 78-year-old. If convicted, he could face decades in prison - but this is unlikely to happen. As this is a federal case, the Justice Department under Trump could simply stop the trial. Trump has already announced that he will fire the special investigator in charge, Jack Smith.
It may not even come to that. US media reported after Trump's election victory that Smith was already thinking about how he could handle the investigation. The proceedings had recently stalled anyway. Smith revised the charges in the summer after the Supreme Court granted US presidents far-reaching immunity for official acts.
The proceedings in Miami on the document affair
In these federal proceedings, Trump is accused of unlawfully storing highly sensitive information from his time in office as President in private rooms. The responsible judge in Florida, who was once appointed by Trump, discontinued the proceedings in the summer. Special investigator Smith filed an appeal against this.
Following Trump's return to the White House, this case is also likely to disappear into thin air on the instructions of the Department of Justice. Or Special Prosecutor Smith will not pursue it at all - in line with the custom that the Department of Justice cannot investigate the sitting president. Trump is expected to be sworn in for his second term on January 20.
The trial in Atlanta for attempted election fraud
In the state of Georgia, Trump is on trial for his attempts to influence the 2020 election - together with several co-defendants. Unlike in federal trials, Trump could not pardon himself in the event of a guilty verdict in Georgia after moving into the White House. Nor can he have the proceedings dropped himself. However, Trump's lawyers have currently largely blocked the investigation - the prosecutor responsible, Fani Willis, has recently suffered numerous setbacks.
The Supreme Court in Georgia is currently dealing with the question of whether Willis should be removed from the case. Trump's lawyers accuse her of having unlawfully benefited financially from a relationship with another prosecutor in the case. If Willis is removed, the entire case could collapse. But even if Willis remains in charge, Trump's lawyers have already argued that the proceedings against the Republican should not begin before the end of his second term in office - in other words, not before 2029 at the earliest.
The trial in New York on unlawfully booked hush money
At the end of May, a jury in New York found Trump guilty on 34 charges. The trial concerned the illegal concealment of hush money payments to a porn actress in order to gain advantages during the 2016 election campaign. It was the first time in the history of the United States that a former president was convicted of a criminal offense.
However, the sentencing has been postponed several times - it is currently scheduled for November 26. Trump faces a maximum sentence of several years in prison.
It remains to be seen whether the date will actually take place. Experts assume that it is likely to be postponed. Even if Trump is sentenced to prison, it is considered unlikely that he will have to serve it before the end of his second term of office. However, it is difficult to make predictions in this case as there is no historical precedent.
