The forty-fifth President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was officially arrested on Tuesday, April 4th making him the first President ever to be criminally charged. Let’s break it down:
March 28: Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury after being investigated for allegedly paying $130,000 in “hush money” through his 2016 Presidential campaign toward an adult film star, Stormy Daniels, whom he had alleged sexual encounters with outside his marriage.
April 4: Trump was officially arrested without handcuffs or mugshot, but he was read his Miranda rights, fingerprinted, and taken to a courtroom for arraignment. He was charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records, plus he was charged with conspiracy for additional “hush money” payouts to multiple women. Trump pleaded not guilty.
Other Charges:
January 6th: The U.S. Department of Justice criminally charged Trump for inciting the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Classified Documents: The U.S. Department of Justice also criminally charged the former President for possessing classified information and documents from his time in the White House at his residence.
Election Interference: The Atlanta Judicial Circuit criminally charged Trump for attempting to originally take away votes from 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, in Georgia. He then continued by calling Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, telling him, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.”
New Details:
Trump paid multiple extra-marital sexual encounters and illegally paid employees and staff, but there’s more that we didn’t know. After the full 34-count charge was released, even newer, previously undisclosed, details were revealed. For one, a doorman from a Trump building was allegedly paid $30,000 in order to hide knowledge of a child Trump fathered “outside of wedlock” and maintain that secret. Additionally, it was alleged that Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, agreed to a $420,000 salary, which Trump paid through his organization without ever recording it. The two then met in the Oval Office in February of 2017 to reaffirm the arrangement. This could be huge if he is found guilty as Trump could spend up to 136 years of jail-time.
Can He Still Run For President if He is Found Guilty?
The short answer is yes, definitely. The main rules to become President are…
1. Be a natural born citizen.
2. Be at least 35 years old, and-
3. Be a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.
Those are all of the “must-be’s”. If he is indicted or even behind bars, he can still try to win back the White House. Plus, taking a deeper look at the U.S. Constitution, it only confirms there’s almost no way for him to be forbidden to run for office. The 22nd Amendment only states that a President can only serve two 4-year terms as President for 8 years (possibly 10 years with special conditions). That doesn’t apply to Trump. Another consideration I made was impeachment. While Trump was in office, he became the first President in American history to be impeached, or voted out of office by the House of Representatives, twice. However, the Senate did not vote to kick him out, as they acquitted him both times, so this again doesn’t apply. Why? Trump was not voted out of office by both parts of Congress. The last rule I researched could possibly apply later, but does not currently. The 14th Amendment includes a “disqualification clause” that applies to anyone running for an office that was previously in a position of power “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. Although this does not apply to Trump for these current criminal charges, there are two others that could indeed apply. His “election interference” and “January 6” charges could actually disqualify him from running for President, but as of right now, this current situation will not affect his power.
Overview:
This is a historic moment. Could we possibly see a former President behind bars? More to come later about President Trump’s charges.
- Jacob Francy
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