On Election Night 2024, Donald Trump became the first candidate in U.S. history to become president-elect despite having faced four separate criminal indictments — including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s hush money/falsified business records case, which found him being convicted on 34 felony counts.
But none of other three cases went to trial. And special counsel Jack Smith, citing the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president, asked Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss, without prejudice, his federal election interference case against Trump.
Smith also motioned to withdraw his appeal of Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of his classified documents case. Meanwhile, Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference/RICO case against Trump and a long list of allies is on life support.
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But according to Politico reporters Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, Trump "isn’t off the hook for January 6 just yet."
"Though the criminal cases against him are all but dead," Gerstein and Cheney explain in an article published on December 8, "Trump is likely to be fighting eight civil lawsuits — from members of Congress and injured police officers — deep into his second term. They may be the last form of legal redress Trump faces for his role in spurring the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021."
The Politico reporters add, "Those lawsuits have been steadily advancing for years, largely overshadowed by the explosive January 6 Committee and grand jury investigations. But now that the criminal cases have imploded, they've become a last stand of sorts for those seeking to hold Trump accountable for the chaos his supporters wrought that day."
According to attorney Joseph Sellers — who has represented Democrats in January 6-related lawsuits — Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election will not erase his legal problems in civil cases.
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Sellers told Politico, "These cases, unlike the criminal case, will not be affected by the election. Our clients suffered real injuries that entitle them to relief, but also, I think, are seeking some measure of accountability given President Trump's role in the January 6 events and the events leading up to it."
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Read Politico's full article at this link.