The likelihood of Donald Trump being able to run for president in the upcoming election without facing legal penalties for his attempts to overturn the previous election is discussed in a recent newsletter. Despite polls indicating that most Americans believe Trump committed serious crimes, Congress did not sanction him and criminal trials related to his actions may not start before the 2024 election. Three crucial groups of people played key roles in this outcome: Republican senators, Democratic prosecutors, and Republican appointees on the Supreme Court.
Republican senators had the power to address Trump’s actions through impeachment and barring him from holding office again. In early 2021, there was potential for Congress to bar Trump, with 10 Republicans joining every Democrat in impeaching him. However, many Republican senators backed down due to Trump’s popularity with Republican voters and fear of confronting him. Mitch McConnell played a central role in delaying the trial until after Trump left office, allowing for acquittal votes from some senators, including those who were critical of Trump in private.
After Trump was acquitted by the Senate, focus turned to criminal investigations of his postelection actions by Democratic prosecutors. However, these investigations progressed slowly due to caution from Attorney General Merrick Garland and his deputy. A lack of urgency in the investigations at the Justice Department led to delays in charging Trump. The one state prosecution for election interference in Georgia has also faced challenges, including delays caused by a district attorney’s personal relationships.
Trump’s federal trial for election interference had a chance to finish before Election Day, but the Supreme Court intervened, causing delays with decisions on hearing Trump’s appeal and suggesting a broad ruling that could take months. Critics have noted that the decisions by Republican-appointed justices in both 2000 and 2024 seemed to benefit the Republican presidential nominee. These decisions have contributed to Trump’s legal strategy of delay, which he has used successfully in the past to fight investigations.
The newsletter discusses how the decisions made by senators, prosecutors, and justices have all played into Trump’s legal strategy of delay. Trump’s ability to use delay as a tactic to avoid legal consequences echoes his behavior in business and has seemingly worked in his favor during this campaign. Amidst these legal challenges, one trial involving Trump’s payment of hush money in 2016 is set to resume in New York. The newsletter also touches on other topics, including sports news and a trend in the return of intimacy and sex scenes in movies, exploring how movie studios are moving away from the focus on animation and PG-13 franchises.
