Trump's impending return to White House brings criminal cases to a halt

6/11/2024 17:46

        Donald Trump's claimed U.S. presidential election victory on Wednesday will essentially end the criminal cases brought against him, at least for the four years he occupies the White House.
        
        The first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, Trump for much of this year faced four simultaneous prosecutions, over allegations ranging from his attempt to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign to his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. A New York jury in May found him guilty of falsifying business records tied to the Daniels payment, making him the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony.
        Trump, a Republican, told an interviewer on Oct. 24 that he would fire U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith "within two seconds" of being sworn in.
        
        Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and cast the prosecutions as politically motivated.
        
        While Trump as president will have the authority to fire Smith and shut down the federal cases against him, he will not have the same control over the New York hush money case or Georgia's prosecution of him for trying to overturn his 2020 loss in that state. But his unique role as president makes it unlikely he will face legal consequences in either case during his term in office.