The ex-president’s social media post correctly described the magnitude of his indictment over the alleged mishandling of classified documents - though completely ignored any personal culpability in the case.īut the first-ever indictment of a former president by a federal grand jury thrust the country into an unprecedented and perilous moment in its history at a time when it is already internally estranged over politics.Ĭriminal probes of former presidents and current presidential candidates might be business as usual in tottering developing world states.

Rob Carr/Getty Imagesĭonald Trump, who has often lied, unquestionably told the truth when he said Thursday was a “dark day” for America. Read more answers to your questions here.įormer President Donald Trump watches the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National Golf Club on May 26. People do routinely serve prison time for retention of classified documents, conspiracy and obstruction - but top officials accused of wrongdoing also have historically found a way out of jail.

He hasn’t been tried, much less convicted.

Could Trump be jailed? We’re getting ahead of ourselves.

If Trump wins the election, as president he could control the Justice Department, and dismiss the case if it is still pending.

What if Trump wins before the trial ends? He could make it go away, one attorney told CNN.

It may be more difficult for an indicted candidate to win votes, but it's not forbidden for them to run or be elected.

Can he still run for president? Yes - nothing stops Trump from running while indicted, or even convicted.

This new indictment involves completely different federal charges, related to his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. Wasn't he already indicted? Yes, Trump was indicted in March on state charges related to hush-money payments to a former adult-film star.No former president, or presidential frontrunner from a major political party, has ever been charged with a federal crime. Has this ever happened before? Absolutely not.

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