Former President Donald Trump has already been through two impeachments, an indictment and losing a sexual abuse lawsuit with hardly a dent in his popularity among supporters. Could the latest indictment finally turn even MAGA Republicans against him?
Zach Clark of WWJ Newsradio’s “Daily J” podcast tackled that question this week with some experts.
“For the second time this year, criminal charges have been unveiled against former President Donald Trump,” he said. “But this time, the stakes are much higher.”
“That law has a provision that says you can no longer ever hold public office. So these particular charges could prevent him from being president,” said legal analyst Charlie Langton.
According to the unsealed documents, Trump faces 37 charges related to mishandling classified documents after he left office in 2021. Last spring, Trump announced that the U.S. Department of Justice raided his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., to recover the materials.
“When he left the presidency back in January of 2021, Trump allegedly took hundreds of these documents to his Mar a Lago place and then he, quote, stored the classified documents in places like his bathroom, his shower, bedroom, ballroom. He actually showed, as CBS reported these documents to others and a member of members of his political action committee” Langton explained.
Trump is expected to be arraigned on the charges Tuesday in a Miami, Fla., federal court.
Clark noted that President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence have also kept classified documents when they shouldn’t have.
“Why is this case?” he asked U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider. “Why does this appear to be different than what some of the other past presidents have done?”
“This appears to be different because the allegations are about obstruction and conspiracy to do such and to tamper with witnesses, if that is true,” said Schneider. “If these accusations are, and the allegations are that he did actually try to prevent witnesses from talking, or that he lied or that he knew that he could not possess these documents and he did it anyway.
That’s far different from Pence or Biden or any of the other myriad of people who have done this.”
These allegations are serious, but does that mean Trump is close to being disqualified from running for president? In recent weeks, he has been by far the most popular potential GOP 2024 presidential candidate.
“We all know that Donald Trump has been in trouble before. He’s faced allegations before and he’s gotten out of those things,” said Schneider. “And even if he is charged with offenses, that doesn’t mean he can't run for president. However, under the statute regarding removing government records, if he’s convicted of that crime, that law has a provision that says you can no longer ever hold public office again for the United States. So, these particular charges, that one in particular could prevent him from being president.”
After Trump’s first indictment this year – related to allegations of a hush money scheme to pay off Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with the real estate mogul – Trump’s fundraising actually increased. After the news of his second indictment broke Thursday his polling power increased, according to the FiveThityEight.
Trump repeated claims Saturday during a rally in Georgia that the indictment was a “witch hunt” and a “scam.”
However, his popularity outside of the GOP could take a hit, said the outlet. Listen here for the full Daily J deep dive into the issue.
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