The U.S. Secret Service is in the business of protecting the president, whether he’s inside the Oval Office or visiting a foreign war zone.
But protecting a former president in prison? The prospect is unprecedented. That would be the challenge if Donald J. Trump — whom the agency is required by law to protect around the clock — is convicted at his criminal trial in Manhattan and sentenced to serve time.
Even before the trial’s opening statements, the Secret Service was in some measure planning for the extraordinary possibility of a former president behind bars. Prosecutors had asked the judge in the case to remind Mr. Trump that attacks on witnesses and jurors could land him in jail even before a verdict is rendered.
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That’s the law, they literally can’t demand more; It’s a regressive fine, just like everything else in society. If they could call for a heftier financial penalty, they would.
I’m sure that there are other laws that could apply, like witness intimidation. Contempt can also carry jail time for each instance. The judge has discretion to hold him in jail during the trial as well.
Indeed, he could be locked up for up to 30 days, but I think Merchan wants to avoid feed this asshole’s martyr complex.
Personally I’d rather trump end up like Steve Biko than Nelson Mandela, but perhaps Merchan is far more level-headed than I am.
For context, Frank DiPascali plead guilty to 10 federal charges in 2009 related to his role in Bernie Madoff’s investment scams. He died of lung cancer in 2015 and had yet to be sentenced. That’s how long it takes when there’s a guilty plea, making things relatively easy.
Trump walking around a free man for 8 years is not unusually long. One of the major federal cases, taking classified materials home with him and not giving it back, had no crime occurring until he was out of office.
What I’m saying is that if the timeline is your argument for the government letting him get away with things, then you should find a different argument. This level of waiting is normal.
Why is it normal? And how do we fix it?
There’s lots of reasons. One is that prosecutors have one shot at it–they don’t get to appeal a not-guilty verdict in most circumstances–so they need to build their case very, very carefully. This is arguably a good thing, so maybe we shouldn’t fix it.
One thing we very much should fix, though, is that the size of the federal bench hasn’t been increased in a while, and judges have an overwhelming workload. Doubling or even quadrupling the number of judges would be in order. This will get labeled as “stuffing the bench” by whichever party isn’t currently in power, but it’s a good idea.
The justice system is just slow, though. Consider that depending on the outcome, it can take away everything you own, throw you in jail for years, or in some jurisdictions, end your life. There are reasons for those outcomes (well, except for the death penalty), and that means the process should be very deliberate. This isn’t just about Trump.
I’m convinced that the u.s government machine would assassinate him or poison him, before ever allowing him to set foot in prison.