Trump Could Avoid Jail if He Dumps Presidential Race – Legal expert James D. Zirin has suggested that former President Donald Trump must scrap his ambition of reentering the White House “If he knows what is good for him.”
Writing for The Hill, he expressed his concerns over Trump’s quadruple indictments and 91 felony counts, both at the federal and state levels, along with a civil suit brought by New York’s attorney general for alleged fraudulent overstatement of assets and a defamation action by journalist E. Jean Carroll.
He also argued that “given the gravity and scope of his crimes, the duration of his illegal activity and his abuse of our highest office,” Trump could merit a prison sentence, but that “If he withdraws from the race, however, and is remorseful, a judge, seeking to temper justice with mercy, may well not send him to prison out of “the high degree of respect” due the high office he once held.
He highlights the possibility of Donald Trump being disqualified from public office under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, which could lead to legal battles.
Trump’s PAC has already spent $40 million on legal fees, and his primary defense strategy is to be re-elected as the 47th president.
Is Donald Trump Qualified?
Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing in the criminal cases against him and has thus far pleaded not guilty in three of them.
However, some think a legal challenge to boot the former President off ballots could work.
“Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution… prevents a former office who has participated in an insurrection or rebellion against the United States from ever again holding public office,” Zirin wrote.
However, according to the US Constitution, there are only three qualifications a person must fulfill to run for President:
-Be at least 35 years old
-Be a natural-born citizen
-Have lived in the U.S for a minimum 14 years
As of now, Trump fits all of them.
14th Amendment Challenge
While Trump’s supporters label the 14th Amendment argument as a “bogus legal theory,” a Florida judge recently dismissed a similar challenge, stating that the plaintiffs lacked standing to question Trump’s qualifications. The judge argued that the injuries alleged in the U.S. Capitol insurrection were not specific to the plaintiffs.
Donald Trump Tied With Biden
Despite these swirling challenges, Trump is proving popular not only with his GOP base but with parts of the country as a whole.
Zirin also admitted that Democrats have “serious misgivings about Biden’s age and apparent frailty,” and that he could also withdraw ahead of 2024, claiming that his party has a strong bench of potential candidates to replace both him and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump still enjoys significant support among GOP primary voters, with nearly 60 percent backing him, despite the indictments. Many Republican primary voters believe the indictments are politically motivated and without merit.
In a general election rematch against President Joe Biden, recent Wall Street Journal polling shows a dead heat, with both candidates at 46 percent, and a significant percentage of undecided voters.
These findings surface as Trump maintains his position as the front-runner within the Republican Party, despite facing legal challenges at both the federal and state levels.
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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