Trump may be first to be indicted

 by Tom Maertens

Less than three months after leaving office, former President Donald Trump is facing an avalanche of legal proceedings. The Washington Post counts 29 lawsuits against him currently, plus multiple criminal investigations.

No former president has ever been indicted, but Trump lost any immunity from indictment he possessed as president when he left office Jan. 20.

Several jurisdictions are conducting criminal investigations, particularly related to Trump’s efforts to steal the election.

In Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine has opened a criminal investigation into Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, when his supporters sacked the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s win.

A spokesman said Racine was investigating whether Trump violated a D.C. law against “inciting or provoking violence.”

Michael Sherwin, the former acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, confirmed to CBS’s 60 Minutes that Trump is still under investigation over the Jan. 6 insurrection. He cited statements by participants that made it clear they showed up because of Trump’s statement.

“It’s unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to D.C. on 6 January,” he said.

Sherwin also said there were now more than 400 cases against participants in the riot.

Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney, is investigating potential tax crimes, insurance fraud and other financial crimes under state law.

He has interviewed Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, at least eight times and at some length. Vance succeeded in obtaining eight years of Trump’s tax returns, which are likely to provide supporting evidence for Cohen’s charges that Trump manipulated property values depending on whether he was paying taxes or applying for loans.

There are two investigations in Georgia, one where Trump pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to “find” enough votes to let him win.

In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced in early February an investigation of the Trump call and other “attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia general election.” Willis said her investigation is a criminal one and would examine whether Trump violated state laws against “solicitation of election fraud,” conspiracy, racketeering, or making threats related to the election administration.

At the same time, Leticia James, the New York attorney general, is conducting a civil investigation of the Trump organization’s alleged fraudulent real estate practices.

In addition, two Democratic congressmen and the NAACP have filed lawsuits over the insurrection under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 which bars violent interference in Congress’s constitutional duties.

Trump’s niece, Dr. Mary Trump, has filed a lawsuit alleging he cheated her out of part of her inheritance.

Trump is also fighting lawsuits by E. Jean Carroll and Summer Zervos, who allege that Trump sexually assaulted them and then defamed them when they called him out.

He is also accused of paying hush money to two other women, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. A $130,000 payment to Daniels, among other charges, led to Michael Cohen being sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for having made excess campaign contributions.

Twenty-four other women have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. 

Trump previously paid $25 million for defrauding students of Trump University, and separately, he paid $2 million for defrauding a charity. He is banned from running a charity in New York for life.

He is also facing fraud charges with respect to a hotel in Panama, another hotel in Chicago, and misuse of 2017 inauguration funds.

The AP has suggested that his Seven Springs country mansion may be one of his biggest problems. He has claimed tax deductions for a conservation easement that exceeds the value of the estate by more than double the cost. Al Capone went to prison for tax fraud, they note.

Meanwhile, Trump is fleecing the rubes by claiming he will run for president again; he has raised more than $31 million for his “political action committee.” He will need the money: The Trump Organization’s revenue declined precipitously last year, and Trump is reportedly personally responsible for repaying $300 million in loans over the next four years, according to a New York Times analysis of his tax records.

He has also issued a statement ordering the GOP to stop using his image and name to raise money; He wants it all to come to him, which could leave the Republican National Committee strapped for cash and affect some individual campaigns.

Attorneys have sent cease-and-desist letters to GOP committees demanding they stop using his name in fundraising appeals, but the RNC has rejected the order.

Tom Maertens served as a White House National Security Council Director under both presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.