PNN – “The Atlantic” wrote: “Donald Trump” is the first former president to be convicted of a criminal offense; In addition, he is now the first convicted criminal to become the president.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, this American publication considered the return of “Donald Trump” to the White House as a reason for the termination or postponement of criminal cases against him and even evaluated the feeling of being wanted by Trump as a reason to strengthen his support in public opinion.
According to this report, on January 3, a judge announced that it will sentence Trump on Jan. 10 on charges of paying a porn star, but will grant the president-elect an “unconditional release.” In fact, this decision nullified Trump’s attempt to overturn the court case and showed that he is still considered a criminal, but the case will effectively be closed.
The Atlantic then brought a summary of the most important legal cases against Trump, assessments of the seriousness of the charges and predictions for the future of the case, which are summarized in the following section:
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1- Fraud case in New York State: In the fall of 2022, the Attorney General of New York filed charges against Trump and some of his close associates and claimed that they have committed fraud over the years by falsely reporting real estate values ​​in order to lower taxes or improve loan terms while trying to inflate Trump’s net worth.
2- Defamation and sexual assault cases in Manhattan: In addition to the cases brought by government institutions, Trump is facing two defamation cases from an author named “E. Jane Carroll, who claimed that Trump sexually assaulted her in a department store in the 1990s. When Trump denied the allegation, he filed a defamation lawsuit and later added an assault charge.
In May 2023, a jury found that Trump had sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll and awarded $5 million in Carroll’s favor. A second defamation case resulted in an $83.3 million verdict in January 2024.
3- The case of hidden money in Manhattan: In March 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was the first prosecutor to file criminal charges against Trump, claiming that Trump has falsified business records to pay certain women. The trial began on April 15 and ended on May 30 with Trump’s conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10.
4- The complaint file of the Ministry of Justice for keeping documents in “Maralago”: Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with 37 crimes related to the removal of documents from the White House after his presidency, but Judge Eileen Cannon dismissed the case and declared that Smith’s appointment was illegal. Smith appealed. The charges included willfully withholding national security information, obstruction of justice, concealment of documents and making false statements.
5- The case of undermining the election in the city of Fulton: In Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fannie Willis filed a major case against Trump and 18 other people. He claimed that there was a massive conspiracy to steal the 2020 elections.
6- Justice Department complaint about election undermining: Special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with four federal crimes related to trying to stay in office after losing the 2020 election.
This case was equal in importance to the Fulton case. Although it was narrower and focused only on Trump and some key elements, the symbolic weight of the US Department of Justice in pursuing efforts to undermine the American electoral system was heavy.
At the end of the Atlantic report, it is stated that at one time cases in more than 30 states raised doubts about Trump’s presence as a candidate. Some considered him deserving of re-nomination for violating his oath to defend the constitution in the case of rebellion. The Supreme Court completely disagreed with this view. The justices ruled unanimously on March 4 that states cannot bar Trump from running. He participated in the elections and is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, 2025.