

If it is proven that it is all a scam and that his career is a house of cards built on illegal acts, his narrative will absorb a serious hit – although it’s unlikely that would ever be enough to shake his appeal to his core voters. Much of Trump’s initial political appeal is based on the idea that he is a wildly successful tycoon who built a hugely profitable business and amassed personal wealth. The darkening legal storm for Trump also bolsters the extraordinary possibility of a former President facing potential criminal action and serious civil penalties that could significantly threaten his fortune. Tracking Trump's ongoing investigations, civil suits and countersuits The Justice Department already has its own separate grand jury probe into events surrounding his false election fraud claims and those leading up to the attack on the US Capital by his mob of supporters. The panel has yet to decide whether to make a recommendation for criminal action against the former President.

The ex-President has denied wrongdoing on all accounts.īut the deepening crisis for Trump also came on a day when the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection formally announced its first fall hearing for next week. Three judges, including two appointed by Trump, ruled that the public has a strong interest in ensuring his retention of the material did not cause “exceptionally grave damage to the national security.” Given Trump’s record of seeking to delay investigations against him as long as possible, he could try another legal maneuver but his options are running out, with one of his only remaining possibilities being an emergency request to the US Supreme Court.īoth developments appear to have widened Trump’s potential legal exposure, which now appears stark in at least three separate dramas that include a probe in Georgia into his alleged attempt to steal the 2020 election in the critical swing state. In a crucial ruling in the case of highly sensitive material that Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago resort, an appeals court handed the Justice Department a victory by allowing it to look at documents marked as classified that were seized in a search by FBI agents last month.
