Donald Trump still faces criminal charges; What happens now after winning the US elections?

No matter who got the keys to the White House, it was always going to be a historic election victory.

A. Kamala Harris The victory would make her the first female president. Donald Trump He is the first convicted felon to become POTUS.

Trump in May became the first former US president to be criminally convictedFor trying to cover up hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during her 2016 campaign.

He was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records to commit election fraud. As it stands now, he is expected to be sentenced in this case in late November.

Mr. Trump, who will take office as president in January, is said to be involved in other state and federal criminal cases as well as civil cases. He denied the charges against him and the alleged prosecutions were alleged to be politically motivated.

Experts say it’s likely that federal cases will at least “disappear.”

‘Silence the money’ – state case

Situation on this issue Stormy DanielsTrump was found guilty of covering up a $130,000 (£99,000) payment paid to him ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for his silence about a sexual relationship his lawyer claimed they had had a decade ago.

Trump is expected to be sentenced in New York on November 26 and could face up to four years in prison. His lawyers are now expected to ask Judge Juan Merchan to postpone the hearing.

Originally set for July, Judge Merchan twice adjourned the sentence. This is due in part to a July U.S. Supreme Court decision that found presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for their official actions.

Mr. Trump argues that the case should be dismissed on that basis, which prosecutors object to.

Election subversion – federal lawsuit

Donald Trump has also been accused of trying to reverse his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obstruct the collection and documentation of results.

He was accused of using “fraud, forgery, and fraud” and spreading “pervasive and destabilizing lies about election fraud.”

Again, this case was slowed by the US Supreme Court’s decision regarding presidents and immunities.

Election interference – state case

Mr. Trump was officially sent to the Fulton County jail in Georgia in August 2023. He was specifically indicted for allegedly conspiring to reverse his defeat in the battleground state In the 2020 elections.

While there, his mugshot and fingerprints were taken before he was released on bail. Speaking to the media later, he said, “What happened here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong and not everyone knows it. I’ve never had support like this.”

The election results in Georgia were memorably close and triggered two recounts, but Mr. Biden ultimately won by 11,779 votes, or 0.23% of the five million votes cast.

He was endorsed by both Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, and secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. However, Mr. Trump did not accept the result.

Prosecutors used the state’s racketeering laws, developed to combat organized crime, to charge him and others, including his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Mr. Trump and eight of the 14 defendants in the case are appealing. The Attorney General is seeking to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for alleged misconduct.

Misuse of classified documents – federal lawsuit

Mr Trump also faced accusations over secret documents he allegedly received from the White House, including deleting CCTV footage of his staff moving boxes at his Florida home.

But, a judge dismissed this case against him on July 15.

The federal indictment stated that some documents contained details about the US’s nuclear weapons programs, potential weak points of the country and its allies, and plans for retaliatory military strikes.

Prosecutors are appealing.

civil cases

He is also appealing a number of civil cases totaling more than $500 million (about £388 million) and is unlikely to be affected by his win in this case.

These include a civil fraud case in New York state and Lawsuits filed by author E Jean CarrollShe sued him, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s and slandered her when he was first president.

The appeals court is expected to rule in the sexual assault case first, with a decision expected at any time, according to NBC.

Mr. Trump also faces eight pending civil lawsuits related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, following his complaints about voter fraud in the 2020 election.

According to NBC, a hearing date has not been set, but due to objections, these decisions could take months or even longer to be determined.

So what happens now?

experts He says his election victory would essentially end criminal cases against him, at least during his time in the White House.

He has previously said that if he becomes president again, he would fire U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith. federal prosecutions – “within two seconds” of being sworn in.

Although he has the authority to fire Mr. Smith and dismiss federal cases, he will not have the same control over state cases in New York and Georgia.

But being the US president is a unique position and means he is unlikely to face legal consequences either way during his term in office.

Does this mean it’s gone?

Sky News US correspondent James Matthews says that’s a possibility, but adds that the case in the two states is “more complex.”

Matthews added that as president, Mr. Trump would have the authority to “appoint officials of his choosing at the Justice Department” and that “it’s probably fair to say that their briefs would include dismissing two federal cases.”

Will Trump be able to pardon himself?

That’s also a possibility, Matthews said. Although self-pardons have never been legally tested, they are within the president’s authority.

Amnesty does not apply to state cases; but the conviction and prosecution are weakened by the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Evidence of official acts cannot be used as evidence to support the prosecution of a crime committed off duty,” Matthews said.

“In both the New York appeals case and the Georgia case, Trump’s lawyers pointed to the evidence used to convict him (phone calls and behavior while in office) and argued that it was related to official actions and that, under the Supreme Court ruling, that evidence should warrant his sentencing.” wait for them to claim it was ruled unacceptable.”

Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst for Sky News’ US partner NBC, said he could say with “great confidence” that the federal lawsuits “will go away”.

Mr. Trump could appoint an attorney general who would “just do his bidding and dismiss the case,” he said, or instruct the justice department “not to even bother with an appeal of the federal case that has already been dismissed.” to all intents and purposes gone”.

Next up is the hush money case. Even if the sentence is handed down on Nov. 26, “he’s probably not going to get a prison sentence” due to a number of factors, Cevallos said.

He added: “Over 75, unarmed, drug-free, non-violent… on the spectrum of criminals there is someone who could only get a sentence of probation or home confinement, with a high likelihood of being Donald Trump This may not continue even though the case continues for sentencing this month. “

Mr. Cevallos recently said the case in Georgia was “on appeal.”

“Most likely, these cases will be stayed. And who knows what the political situation will be in Fulton County, Georgia, four years from now?”

He added that Fulton County “is not good at expedited trials in complex cases,” so “Donald Trump’s case may never see the light of day in Georgia.”

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