The accusations against Trump and the upcoming presidential race

In anticipation of former President Donald Trump’s possible arrest (which is expected to happen on Tuesday), several members of the Republican Party have spoken out in defense of the former president, including Mike Pence, who served as vice president in the Trump administration.

On Saturday, Trump told Truth Social that he is scheduled to be arrested on Tuesday in a case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and urged his supporters to protest.

“Another prosecution with political overtones has begun,” Pence told ABC on Sunday, while acknowledging that he could not “talk about the merits of the case.”

The case concerns an illegal payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels made by former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels (her real name is Stephanie Clifford) claims that she had a brief intimate relationship with Trump ten years ago and that she was paid to keep quiet. Trump denies this.

If Trump is indicted in this case, “it would be yet another offense by a man who is known to have declared his intention to destroy the entire political system,” was how Bradley Moss, a Washington lawyer who specializes in national security litigation, commented on the news.

If criminal charges are brought against Trump, it would be the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been arrested.

“The fact that a former U.S. president could be indicted within hours or days is completely unprecedented,” said David B. Cohen, a political science professor who studies the history of presidential institutions at the University of Akron. – There is a long history of very powerful people avoiding any accountability for their actions, and this could be a situation that would disprove the view of many who express distrust, arguing that there are two different systems of justice.”

Both Moss and Cohen point out that Richard Nixon, who resigned as president in 1974 over the Watergate scandal and was subsequently pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford, is the only former U.S. president to face a similar level of possible legal liability as Trump.

Experts also commented on the implications of Trump’s possible arrest for the 2024 presidential election.

“Trump is leading the race for the Republican Party nomination,” notes David B. Cohen. – “If he doesn’t end up in jail and continues in the race, I think he will absolutely be the Republican Party nominee.

Others believe that filing charges against Trump will introduce an element of unpredictability into the presidential race.

“No one knows what effect this will have on the 2024 presidential election. Everyone is making unthinkable assumptions because we’ve never had a similar situation,” Moss told Voice of America. – This is brand new territory.”

Several prominent Republicans, including Pence, Florida Governor Ron Desantis and others, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, are expected to run against Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

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