It is always prudent to game out every single scenario. We have a number of nightmare scenarios for 2024, all of which seem to point to exculpation of Donald Trump for his crimes. This is not only a disaster, it’s emphatically not a good precedent to set, that if you’re rich and powerful enough, and you manage to run out the clock, you can get away with anything.
One nightmare scenario is that Ron DeSantis gets the nomination and magically gets into the White House. Simply granting for the sake of argument here that that would happen, he would most probably pardon Trump (if Trump was convicted) or possibly dismiss Trump’s prosecution himself. It’s a bit ambiguous at this point if DeSantis could do so, but it’s a moot point, because if the prosecution went forward and Trump was convicted, DeSantis would pardon him, no question. So Trump ends up off the hook in that scenario.
Another nightmare scenario is that Trump gets the nomination, and somehow gets back into the White House, and then dismisses his own prosecution. Glenn Kirschner, a former prosecutor, has the details on that.
Hopefully, in a perfect world (which this one emphatically is not) we will live to see Donald Trump come to justice. Maybe not.
It’s mind boggling that someone could be indicted for treason and still be allowed to pardon himself! It’s also mind boggling that DeSantis can fix things so he can remain governor while running (and losing) for president! no one else gets to keep their seats when the aim for higher office, right? Like the 3 congresspeople in CA running for the same senate seat?
How are these things even considered?!?
Sorry, you are wrong in thinking that no elected official other than Ron DeSantis can run for higher office while keeping his current office. There are actually at least two different questions here. The first question is, “Can a person run for two different offices at the same time?” The second question is, “Can a person who is not up for reelection run for another office?” (Presumably he would resign from his first office at some point before taking the second office, since most jurisdictions prohibit holding two offices at the same time.)
Texas changed its answer to the first question when it decided to allow Lyndon Baines Johnson to run for reelection to the US Senate and to run for vice-president at the same time. See this note from https://www.cga.ct.gov/2000/rpt/2000-R-1146.htm:
TEXAS
Prior to 1959, no candidate’s name could appear on the official ballot in Texas more than once except as a candidate for two or more offices that could be held by the same person under the constitution or as the nominee for a single office by more than one political party (VATS Election Code, art. 6.01). But in 1959, before Lyndon B. Johnson’s run for the presidency and nomination to the vice presidency, the law was changed to exempt a candidate who “has been duly nominated for the office of President or Vice-President of the United States and also for an office requiring a state-wide vote for election” (Chapter 161, SB No. 458).
As for the second question, I think that many US senators and state governors have sought the presidency in a year when they were not up for reelection. Ron DeSantis is actually in this situation. The presidential election is in 2024, but DeSantis’ next race for governor would be in 2026. I think that Florida was unusual in requiring an office holder to resign before running for another office in a year in which he was not up for reelection.
If somebody else wants to research these questions further, that would be great.
He still can’t be pardoned, or pardon himself, on the state convictions.
When/if? they finally occur.
Ummmm, newsflash-if you’re wealthy you already get away with pretty much anything and if for some reason you do get punished for a crime it is a slap on the wrist. This isn’t just something created just for trump although he’s benefited from this system for decades.
Even Nixon resigned to avoid prosecution. I would be happy to see Donnie Donuts cop a plea to a lesser charge, be given several.years of home confinement ( not allowed to.go.more than 50feet of the Man-go-Larda$$ terrace with an ankle monitoring. If he violates it he goes to Club Fed and a gag order that doesn’t allow him.to.meet with anyone but family and his lawyers, no interviews, no meetings with potential ghostwriters. No more golf for him. No trips to.Moscow. No visits to.NYC or his golf clubs.