Defendant in four lawsuits, Trump could face erosion in the election

The next few months promise to generate headaches for the former president of the United States, Donald Trump. Defendant in four different cases, he will have to deal with the electoral campaign, at the same time as he will answer for part of these accusations in court.

The ongoing trial — which analyzes the Republican’s accounting maneuvers to hide payments made during the 2016 campaign to porn actress Stormy Daniels — began last week and could last a month. This is the first time in US history that a former president faces criminal charges. This Monday (22), the phase of presenting the accusatory arguments and witnesses began.

According to the accusation, the former president tried to hide the payment of US$130,000 to the actress, a few months before the presidential election, so that she would not report an affair between the two in 2006.

In total, the case has 34 charges, each of which can lead to a sentence of up to four years.

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Among them is the falsification of accounting documents carried out by the Trump Organizations to camouflage the payment. With the amount in hand, Trump’s then lawyer, Michael Cohen, passed it on to Daniels.

Furthermore, because he had the help or connivance of other people, the crime of conspiracy is also included among the charges. As Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated, there was “a conspiracy to rig the presidential election and lie on business documents to cover it up.”

Trump still faces the trial of three other actions, with no set date yet. One of them, for having illegally taken confidential documents with him after leaving the White House. Another, for the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the culmination of his movement to try to stay in power, accusing without evidence that Joe Biden’s election was rigged. Finally, the one that deals with possible electoral interference in the state of Georgia.

According to US law, as a defendant or even as a person convicted of any of these actions this year, Trump will be able to run in the elections, scheduled for November 4th. However, the cases can cause damage to his candidacy.

With agencies

Foto: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia

(PL)