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CNN
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Big days ahead in Donald Trump’s multiple legal battles.
The impending verdict and impending trial could prove fateful for the Republican front-runner’s 2024 campaign and personal fortune. The powers and limits of the president, and even America’s constitutional democracy, will be shaped by what happens next.
The conflict between November’s presidential election and President Trump’s unusual tangle of legal liability, trials, appeals and tests of the rule of law deepens as he tightens his grip on the Republican nomination. Several civil lawsuits are moving toward conclusion, with financially painful consequences for the former president. But there are growing signs that his deferral strategy, aimed at deferring full accountability until after the election, may be having an impact on some criminal fronts. And the nation’s highest courts and judges are now grappling with the consequences of President Trump’s efforts to strain the guardrails of the political system to the breaking point. The resulting precedent will continue to resonate forever as long as America remains a republic.
Mr. Trump, his lawyers, political opponents and constitutional scholars are bracing for major developments on the horizon.
— On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments over the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to exclude President Trump from the vote based on the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause. This follows a mob attack by his supporters on January 6, 2021, in the wake of false claims of election fraud in 2020. This case is of great importance for the 2024 election and the development of future elections. The Supreme Court has no choice but to intervene, as several states have gone against the grain and refused to exclude Trump from voting, and legal differences threaten to disrupt elections across the country. There were few options. Maine has taken similar action as Colorado, but the case has not yet reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado case was initially expected to turn against Trump, but a flurry of briefs submitted to the Supreme Court by historians and legal scholars suggested the justices would issue a radical ruling dismissing the issue. This shows that it is not easy to disprove. hand. The key question is whether the Civil War-era amendment applies to the president, and whether it is self-enforcing or requires courts or Congress to rule on insurrection decisions. Trump’s supporters are using the lawsuit to counter claims by his critics that he is a threat to democracy and that removing him from the ballot is a direct insult to voters. , alleging that this is an example of election interference.
— Another major constitutional issue is pending a ruling by the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on President Trump’s far-reaching claims of immunity from prosecution for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. I’m stuck. The ruling could determine whether Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case can move forward before the election. More broadly, Trump’s insistence on unrestricted presidential power will have a major impact on how he acts in his second term and changes the very scope of his presidency.
— President Trump is preparing for sentencing in a New York civil fraud trial involving himself, his adult sons and the Trump Organization. Judge Arthur Engoron has already said the fraud has been repeated. The final ruling, expected within days, will center on issues such as how much Trump will have to pay for ill-gotten gains and whether he will be barred from doing business in the states he named. ing. A judgment in the hundreds of millions of dollars could place a significant strain on President Trump’s cash reserves and assets.
— President Trump is still coming to terms with the $83 million jury award late last month to author E. Jean Carroll, who he sued for defamation after a judge ruled he was responsible for sexual assault. That’s where I am. President Trump is assembling a new defense team in the appellate court, but many legal experts believe it is unlikely that he will overturn the verdict following a trial in which he found himself in contempt of the court. And the latest ruling could be a financial blow, doubling the pain of the hefty verdict against him in the fraud trial.
— The first of four criminal trials President Trump is scheduled to face concerns allegations that he tried to mislead voters in the 2016 election over hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. There are increasing signs that this may be the case. The lawsuit, filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is seen by many legal experts as the least serious of the criminal threats facing Trump, and is therefore not politically motivated. This could affect his political claims that he is being persecuted in the United States. Outcomes of other criminal trials.
— In Georgia, an extortion case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleging that Trump tried to steal the 2020 election in a critical battleground state is now closed in a private investigation with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. has been overshadowed by revelations about their relationship. Ms. Willis and Ms. Wade last week strongly rejected claims that they benefited financially from employing Mr. Willis. Willis also argued that the “salacious” allegations should not disqualify him from leading the prosecution. President Trump used the drama to allege corruption and demand that the lawsuit be thrown out. If Willis is not indicted, there could be questions about whether other prosecutors would pursue similar charges, or if they even did.
— A separate federal trial against Mr. Trump on charges of mishandling classified documents and obstruction at his Mar-a-Lago resort is nominally scheduled for May. However, Mr. Smith and Mr. Trump’s lawyers have been embroiled in a discovery dispute over the use of classified materials in the case and whether the Justice Department properly followed procedures to recover classified materials after Trump took office, and the plan has not yet been finalized. It is unclear whether this will come true.
The scale of the case that President Trump is simultaneously facing is unprecedented for any criminal defendant. Their serious nature and the fact that they are holding on to the most likely Republican presidential candidate makes this a dangerous time for this country. Given the constant swirl of controversy surrounding the former president and the slow pace of the court case, it’s easy to overlook the startling reality of the moment and its implications for the next election and beyond.
The former president’s continued viability despite the profound challenges he faces is evidence of the extraordinary transformation of his Republican Party. It also speaks to his skill at deflecting danger from a narrative of political persecution that only cements his loyal supporters to his “Make America Great Again” movement. President Trump’s ability to defer responsibility and demagogue judgment against him through legal delay strategies will determine whether he is able to accomplish the more complex task of mitigating the impact of his trial on voters in the November general election. It will be useful in the future.
President Trump’s last remaining Republican rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, is now capitalizing on the news that President Trump has spent more than $50 million in legal fees from his political action committee. They argue that legal entanglements have made for a disastrous selection for the party. Haley told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” on Sunday that it is “troublesome” that Trump is spending more time in court than campaigning this year. “I think the American people have a right to know which of these lawsuits are legal and which are not,” Haley said. “The country is in turmoil and the world is on fire. What we need is a president who will give us eight years of focus and discipline and not just sit around and rant about how he is a victim.” But the lesson of the Republican primary so far is that most Republican voters are convinced of Trump’s “witch hunt” claims and have no interest in disqualifying him. Thing.
The chances of full state accountability for Trump’s legal challenges appear to be receding, at least before the election.
For example, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, despite expressing skepticism during last month’s hearing on President Trump’s immunity claims, initially After suggesting action, he is yet to issue a ruling. This would be an advantage for President Trump, as it would delay the underlying federal election trial in the short term, increasing the buffer available to his team and maximizing time for an appeal to the Supreme Court. . At some point, Judge Tanya Chutkan’s calendar may fill up or he may decide that he must wait out the case because the election is so close. On Friday, she postponed her original March 4 trial start date indefinitely. The move was a boost for Trump, but Chutkan may also have been trying to pressure the appeals court judges to make a decision, former Pentagon special counsel Ryan Goodman told CNN. told Erin Burnett. “So there could still be a ruling from the D.C. Circuit, and then the Supreme Court could decide whether to take action or not, and then everything could be back on track. So it’s definitely good for President Trump. “But we are not necessarily out of the woods,” Goodman said.
How President Trump is expanding the legal system and what he’s saying about his chances for a second term
There is a common thread between President Trump’s conflicts with the legal system that applies to his personal actions, political actions, and aspirations. It’s about not wanting to follow rules that constrain all other Americans. In the civil fraud trial and the Carroll defamation case, Mr. Trump often acted in defiance of the court and its staff. He threw tantrums and strikes and showed contempt for the legal system.
In his immunity suit, he is asking for everything but absolute power as president. That is both to put him out of harm’s way as he attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and as the basis for a second term devoted to the “retribution” he has apparently promised. He wants to act with the assurance that he is not bound by the Constitution or the law. For example, at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire last month, President Trump said, “Grant the president — any president — immunity so that he can act as he feels or as the group desires.” It will have to be,” he argued. Many advisors feel that is absolutely true. He added: “If we don’t do that, we’re going to have a completely ineffective president, and we’ve had enough of those.”
President Trump’s assertion of powers that previous presidents did not have represents a direct challenge to America’s founding ideals. This country was founded on the rejection of an unassailable executive with unaccountable powers: the British King.
The former president’s seizure of power comes on the heels of the former president’s violent attempts to retain power in the 2020 election, prompting President Joe Biden to center his campaign on the fight to save democracy. “This is more than just a campaign. This is more of a mission, for the sake of the country, and we can’t, can’t, can’t lose this campaign,” he told campaign workers Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware.
By taking legal action, President Trump is showing he understands the implications of this election. The election could give him substantial powers as president to resist or override many of the legal threats he faces and to act without future liability.
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