Former President of the United States and candidate for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination Donald Trump will appear in court today in Miami.
It is the first time that a former president of the United States has been charged at the federal level.
The trial starts around 22:00 Finnish time.
This article answers seven key questions about the trial.
1. What is it about?
In the Florida trial, Trump is accused of federal crimes.
Last year, the FBI sought about 11,000 documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The documents redeemed by the FBI contained classified information about, among other things, nuclear weapons, weapons programs and US defense plans.
The indictment presented on Friday has almost 40 points and charges can be considered serious.
2. How long can Trump get a prison sentence?
If Trump is found guilty of all charges, he could face up to 400 years in prison, The Washington Post evaluate.
31 of Trump’s charges relate to the unauthorized possession of classified documents. Trump could face up to 10 years in prison on each charge.
Trump has been reluctant to return the documents. If Trump is found guilty of conspiracy and perjury, he could face 7-9 years in prison on each count.
However, in Trump’s case, a sentence of hundreds of years is unlikely. In the US legal system, there are several calculation methods used to determine the length of a sentence.
The trial, which begins on Tuesday, concerns only the charges brought against Trump in Florida.
Several other charges have also been brought against Trump, including in the state of New York.
3. Why is it unlikely that Trump will go to jail?
Even if Trump is found guilty at the Miami trial, it is unlikely that he will spend years in prison.
According to criminal justice experts, as a first-time offender, Trump would not necessarily end up in prison at all.
If he received a prison sentence, it would likely only be a few months.
It is more likely than a prison sentence that Trump will have to pay fines or do community service.
4. Why have Trump’s lawyers been fired after the indictment was announced?
Trump has had a difficult time assembling a legal team for the Florida trial.
After the publication of the indictment, two of Trump’s lawyers resigned from his task.
According to experts, it seems that Trump’s legal team has not reached an agreement on the line on which the legal battle will be conducted.
Trump probably wants to stick with the story of a political witch hunt, but legal scholars may want to argue the case in a way that doesn’t involve politics.
The escape of the lawyers may also indicate that the prosecutor has built the case so well that the lawyers have felt it impossible to win it.
5. Why does the Florida trial judge raise questions?
Florida litigation presided over by a judge Aileen Cannon. Trump appointed him as a judge when he was president.
In terms of Trump’s presidential candidacy, a familiar judge can be a positive thing.
In 2022, Cannon watched as FBI agents raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. At that time, the judge was found to have made positive decisions for Trump.
Cannon can influence the speed at which the legal proceedings proceed. The prosecutor has said that it would be best for democracy if the trial were to be dropped before the elections.
From the point of view of Trump and the Republican Party, it could be justified to delay the pronouncement of the verdict until after the presidential election.
Experts say Cannon’s verdict will be criticized regardless of whether he hands down an acquittal or a conviction.
If Cannon gives an acquittal, he could be accused of bias. The verdict to be handed down would probably spur criticism of the political game.
6. Why can publicity prolong the trial?
Trump’s trial has been described as the most watched trial in the world. This can make it difficult to form a jury.
The 12-member jury is made up of ordinary citizens and makes its decision based on the evidence presented in court.
It is in Trump’s interest if the jury is built so that there is at least one person who does not agree to convict the ex-president.
This circumstance may delay the appointment of the jury.
Trump is an extremely controversial public figure, and the defense and prosecution are likely to be in a battle over who will be admitted to the jury.
7. Why are protests being prepared in Miami?
Trump supporters are expected on the streets on Tuesday. The federal police, the FBI, has said that it will intensify monitoring of online conversations during the trial.
Trump denies the charges and claims it is a political manhunt.
Trump’s rhetoric has encouraged extremists to take to the streets in the past, but it remains to be seen whether the trial will galvanize the rioters.
In 2021, after the election loss, Trump called on his supporters to take to the streets.
However, the far-right Proud Boys group, which supported Trump during the congressional invasion, is restrained from commenting on Trump’s recent charges and trial.
Maria Lindén, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute, has also been interviewed for the story.
Source: Reuters
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