Before former U.S. president Donald Trump lost the election last November, he was already facing a criminal investigation related to his financial dealings in New York, and lawsuits related to accusations of sexual misconduct and assault.
But since he lost the election, his actions in the days and weeks leading up to his last day in office have potentially escalated his legal troubles. While some legal experts deem it unlikely, it’s possible the U.S. Justice Department could look into whether Trump bears any legal responsibility for the riot in the Capitol on Jan. 6 that resulted in the deaths of five people including one police officer.
That attack has already prompted at least one high-profile lawsuit, initiated by a Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who claims Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and two far-right groups conspired to incite the riot.
Meanwhile, Trump faces legal scrutiny over his manoeuvres to overturn the election results in the state of Georgia.
Here is a look at the potential legal fallout for Trump.
The Capitol riot
During the Senate impeachment trial, Democratic House managers argued that Trump’s repeated and thoroughly debunked claims that widespread election fraud denied him re-election, and his comments specifically at the rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 in which he asked his supporters to “fight like hell,” inflamed and incited the crowd to descend upon the Capitol with violent intentions as lawmakers were in the process of voting to certify the election.
Trump’s words, according to Randall D. Eliason, a former federal prosecutor, could be in violation of federal laws, including prohibitions on aiding a rebellion, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years, and conspiring with others to prevent laws from being enforced, which calls for 20 years in prison, Eliason wrote in a Washington Post article last month.
Source: cbc.ca
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