Donald Trump’s early announcement of his third run for the White House It will not shield the former president from the criminal investigations he already faces as a private citizenIt left him legally and politically exposed as he tries to secure the Republican nomination for the 2024 election.
The Department of Justice continues its investigations. And with the results of the midterm elections approaching completion, and months after the start of the 2024 presidential campaign in earnest, Federal prosecutors have plenty of time to continue their work Even when Trump starts promoting himself to voters.
“I don’t think the department will falter as a result of Trump’s self-nomination and self-appointment as the front-runner for the 2024 election,” said Michael Weinstein, a former Justice Department attorney general. “I just think they’ll think about it He is trying to deceive the system as he has done so successfully in the courts.”And they are ready for their violent reaction.
Trump enters the race and faces federal investigations related to His attempts to overturn the results of the 2022 elections and store top secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, as well as a separate government investigation in Georgia. The residence investigation moved especially quickly, and this month prosecutors granted a close Trump ally immunity to secure his testimony before a federal jury. Justice Department attorneys say in this investigation that they collected evidence of possible crimes that not only involved obstruction of justice, But also the deliberate withholding of national defense information.
It remains unclear if anyone will face charges, nor is it known if there is a set date for a decision. But the former officials say the best way to make sure the outcome is flawless is to conduct a written investigation that shows no particular favouritism. No degrading treatment affected by the fact that Trump assumed the presidency of the United States.
“The audience will have great confidence in what you do, and you will get the best results. If they treated Donald Trump like any other American,” said Matthew Miller, who was the Justice Department spokesperson when Eric Holder was attorney general.
Current Attorney General Merrick Garland hinted at this: In response to questions about Trump and the investigation into the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol, he said last summer that “no person is above the law.” When asked in a television interview in July how much impact Trump’s potential nomination would have on the department, Garland replied: “We will hold anyone criminally responsible for attempting to interfere with the transfer A legitimate and valid transfer of power from one administration to another.
In any case, it is not easy to investigate a former president or a campaign candidate. This is especially true in the case of Trump, who He spent his presidency attacking his own Department of Justice and harassing attorneys general which he himself named. He has already criticized the FBI for the Mar-a-Lago raid in August, using the ring to collect money from his supporters.
Now that his candidacy is official, he and his supporters are He will attempt to reframe the investigation narrative as political persecution by a democratic government that fears it by 2024.
Indeed, the danger for Democrats is that Trump — who during his declaration on Tuesday declared himself a “victim” — can once again encourage his followers with this argument. On the other hand, the results of the midterm elections last week indicate this She could be more politically vulnerable than many thoughtincluding his Republican Party.
