Former US President Donald Trump will retain much of his loyal base even as he faces more potential indictments on various charges including over the January 6 Capitol riot and contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, but its ranks may thin out, a US legal and constitutional expert told Sputnik
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2023) Former US President Donald Trump will retain much of his loyal base even as he faces more potential indictments on various charges including over the January 6 Capitol riot and contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, but its ranks may thin out, a US legal and constitutional expert told Sputnik.
A Federal grand jury is meeting in Washington DC to consider whether to indict Trump over his alleged role in the January 6 riot. Separately, a Georgia grand jury is weighing indictments against the former president in connection with purported interference in Georgia's elections during the 2020 presidential race.
The former US president was already indicted this year over his handling of classified documents after he left office and over allegedly paying $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The legal cases will not destroy Trump's support but could erode it to some degree, former National Lawyers Guild President Marjorie Cohn, professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson school of Law in San Diego, said.
"Although he will likely retain much of his loyal base, some may peel off as Trump's criminal troubles mount," she said. "He is facing hundreds of years in prison if convicted," she said.
Now, additional indictments are reportedly forthcoming - one in federal court for Trump's role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection and another in Georgia state court for illegal election interference, Cohn pointed out.
"It's still early to predict how these indictments will affect the 2024 presidential election," she cautioned.
Although Trump's popularity appeared to rise after his first two indictments, the latest polls show his favorability numbers declining, Cohn observed.
In fact, the charges already brought against Trump are mild compared with what he may yet face, University of Illinois Professor of Law Francis Boyle said.
"Indicting Trump for the three ... charges reported in the news media is like indicting Al Capone for tax fraud instead of for murders and racketeering," Boyle argued.
Special counsel Jack Smith's current moves to indict Trump with regard to the January 6, 2021 events were long overdue, Boyle stated.
"So, my reaction to Smith's reported Target Letter to Trump about the events of January 6 (2021) is: Better late than never!" he said.
The democratic political system in the United States is disintegrating just as it did in Germany more than 90 years ago, Boyle maintained. "Right now, the United States of America is slouching towards the Weimar Republic," he said.
Trump's indictment and prosecution for the events of January 6, 2021 could start to reverse that negative momentum, Boyle believes.
