Friday 18 November 2022

Can Trump run for the presidency and be charged with criminality?

There are literally piles of potential charges that could be laid against Donald Trump, from incitement to violence prior to the January 6 assault on Congress by his supporters, to fraud for claiming he won the 2020 election, dodgy business deals, and taking classified documents to his home in Florida. So with all this hanging over him should he be allowed to campaign for the White House? Ok, he is innocent until proven guilty but the allegations and accusations against him are pretty serious for a man who believes he has the right to be the next president.It's very likely that one of the reasons Trump decided to announce his bid for the White House at this point is because he hopes it will put the fear of God into his accusers, especially in the Justice Department, and stop them from announcing any charges. Because if the Attorney General does decide to press charges, Trump will no doubt claim that they are purely political aimed at undermining his chances of running for president. By coincidence, two other leaders elsewhere in the world are facing a similar situation: Benjamin Netanyahu who has been selected to become Israel's prime minister again, is still facing corruption charges, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia should, in the eyes of many people, be accused of something to do with the outrageous murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident Saudi journalist, whose body was cut into pieces at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 by a hit squad sent from Riyadh. But under US law, it seems, bin Salman cannot face prosecution in any private legal action in America because he is a head of government. Trump will be hoping he can similarly escape any form of prosecution.

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