At CPAC, Donald Trump pledged to stay in the race for president even if he’s indicted. He made the statement to reporter James Rosen of Newsmax during a press conference on the sidelines of CPAC.
BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump told me @CPAC just now that he will stay in the race for the @WhiteHouse even if he is indicted in one or more of the pending criminal investigations into his activities. Watch @NEWSMAX to see the video.
— James Rosen (@JamesRosenTV) March 4, 2023
While Trump’s pledge is hardly unexpected, it shines a light on what could be an unprecedented situation.
Even if Trump is indicted, he’s not going to be arrested and perp-walked in front of 50 million people, although the Democrats pray for such an outcome every night when they’re in their onesies and getting ready for bed.
And Trump wouldn’t have to spend any time in jail — unless he’s convicted. Even then, it’s not a certainty. So an indictment would not materially alter Trump’s freedom of movement, and it certainly won’t shut him up. The question for the former president would be how many votes he might lose versus how many votes he might gain. The former president would probably lose some independents but gain votes among those who believe the process was rigged against him.
Currently, there are several major investigations of Trump; the documents found at Mar-a-Largo and the January 6 riot at the Capitol are being investigated by special prosecutor Jack Smith. The allegations of election interference in Georgia appear on track to return some indictments despite the giggly, talkative grand jury forewoman’s appearances on TV. Trump may be on the hook as well.
But perhaps the former president should take heart from the travails of the former prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benjamin Netanyahu will make a remarkable comeback as Israel’s prime minister after the results of a general election, and the concession on Thursday of the current leader, Yair Lapid, put his right-wing bloc on a glide path to victory. But looming over his return is the unfinished business of the State of Israel v. Benjamin Netanyahu, a long-delayed felony corruption case.
Mr. Netanyahu, who faces a litany of bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, has denied all accusations, vociferously attacking those who seek to prosecute him. The trial put Israel into uncharted territory, dominating political life and fueling a debate about the state of Israeli democracy and the country’s legal system.
The Netanyahu corruption trial has been one delay after another with the pandemic and weighty matters of state slowing progress to a crawl. American courts don’t move that slowly, but a good lawyer could drag out proceedings almost indefinitely.
It’s unlikely that Trump could get elected president while under indictment. But stranger things have happened in American politics, and Trump has been a magician at getting out of trouble.
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