Are the Handcuffs Tightening Around Trump?
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #43 | By: Maureen Darby-Serson | August 11, 2022
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Policy Summary
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As many know, former President Donald Trump has several investigations opened against him currently. However, are you aware that the actual amount of the major investigations is seven?
He is currently dealing with 7 major state and federal investigations, some related to the 2020 elections, some related to the January 6th riots, and some related to his handling of White House documents, as we saw with the recent FBI search of his Palm Beach Resort at Mar-a-Lago. What is that status of each of these investigations and how close are these to nailing Trump to the wall?
Policy Analysis
Manhattan District Attorney Investigation – The Manhattan DA is currently investigating Donald Trump and the Trump Organization for white collar crimes.
This investigation stalled briefly when two individuals on the case resigned but the DA assured the public that the case continues and that grand juries are still being held to bring potential charges against the former President and/or his organization.
January 6th Riot DOJ Investigation – The US Department of Justice is investigating the January 6th riots and the former president’s involvement in the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
They have been using evidence from the January 6th committee investigations and hearings, among investigations of their own, to file subpoenas and get warrants for records. This investigation is currently ongoing, and the DOJ is interviewing and going over documents every day.
Investigation into Trump’s Finances and Tax Returns – There are several investigations into Donald Trump’s finances and tax returns, both on the federal and state level, with the Manhattan District Attorney investigation being one of them.
Photo taken from: The Hill / AP Photo / Mary Altaffer
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Congress has also been trying to get their hands on his tax returns since he began his presidency.
Earlier this week, a court ruled that the US House panel had a right to Trump’s tax returns, so these investigations are still in the works and moving forward.
NY Attorney General investigation into Trump’s Finances – Earlier this week, Donald Trump refused to answer any questions from the NY Attorney General regarding his business practices and information regarding his organization.
The NYS AG is investigating the Trump Organization and Trump businesses for various fraud related activities that allowed Trump to obtain favorable loans. He allegedly only answered questions about his name and invoked his 5th amendment right more than 400 times. The NY Attorney General now has to decide whether to move forward with suing him or seeking a monetary penalty settlement.
January 6th Committee investigation – The January 6th Committee is still holding public and private hearings. They are interviewing people daily and working on getting more information into Donald Trump’s culpability into what happened on at the Capital on January 6th.
Georgia 2020 Election Interference Investigation – While Donald Trump has not been a direct target of this investigation yet, last month Georgia officials toyed with the notion of seeking his testimony in their investigation into what happened in their state during the 2020 election. In the meantime, they have taken aim at those around Trump. For example, one of Trump’s closest advisors, Rudy Giuliani, was ordered to testify in the Georgia investigation.
Photo taken from: Adele Morgan / Wall Street Journal
Classified documents DOJ investigation – As most of us saw recently, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, looking for classified White House documents that Donald Trump allegedly took with him after his presidency ended. Trump has previously turned over boxed of documents to the National Archives that he took from the White House after his presidency that he should not have taken to Mar-a-Lago, which is what prompted the discussion on whether he had more documents.
According to the Wall Street journal, there may have been an insider who told the FBI that Trump still had documents, some of which could have been classified, at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the raid.
In addition, the DOJ released the search warrant and information related to the raid on Friday. The FBI went in looking for documents related to nuclear weapons and recovered various boxes filled with classified and top-secret documents.
To sum it all up, there is a lot going on. Only time will tell where all of these investigations go. We will have to keep an eye on them all and it is important to do so as the 2024 elections grows closer.
Engagement Resources
Click or tap on resource URL to visit links where available
Investigations: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/11/1116800904/trump-investigations
Wall Street Journal Article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fbi-quest-for-trump-documents-started-with-breezy-chats-tour-of-a-crowded-closet-11660169349?mod=hp_lead_pos2
Search Warrant:
DOJ, Trump, and Jan 6th: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-investigating-trumps-actions-part-jan-6-probe-rcna40167