this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2024
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The U.S. Secret Service is in the business of protecting the president, whether he’s inside the Oval Office or visiting a foreign war zone.

But protecting a former president in prison? The prospect is unprecedented. That would be the challenge if Donald J. Trump — whom the agency is required by law to protect around the clock — is convicted at his criminal trial in Manhattan and sentenced to serve time.

Even before the trial’s opening statements, the Secret Service was in some measure planning for the extraordinary possibility of a former president behind bars. Prosecutors had asked the judge in the case to remind Mr. Trump that attacks on witnesses and jurors could land him in jail even before a verdict is rendered.

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[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 119 points 7 months ago (4 children)

I would hope that being found guilty of treason would revoke any duty to protect them by the secret service...

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 78 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, of all the charges he's facing, treason is not one of them.

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 32 points 7 months ago (5 children)
[–] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 33 points 7 months ago

Yet. The electors scheme that dumps directly participated in to conspire with election officials to forge and mail in false elector documents is still undergoing investigation and, with new updates every month from Republicans giving information to the authorities.

This is the one that I thought would be the most likely of causing him serious legal trouble, but this happened across seven states with an unknown number but around a dozen election officials that agreed to forge documents at Trump's and his team's request and then send in the documents to trick the national archives and pence into falsely certifying Trump as the president-elect in the 2020 election.

It's batshit insane, and he was directly involved, and multiple people can corroborate that. The doj the FBI, some of those Republican collaborators are already working with them, I check in every couple weeks just to see what the latest news is.

The investigations and prosecutions by individual states and government agencies are ongoing, so prosecution of trump is still very much on the table, but only when all of the circumstances and information available has been organized and arrayed, and all of the smaller fish have been targeted and dealt with first.

As of March 2024, the Arizona AG is said that they're nearing the end of their investigation.

But that's one state of seven. And there's also the FBI and the doj investigating this, so there's a lot going on.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_fake_electors_plot

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 16 points 7 months ago

If he was going to face treason charges, they would have brought it as part of the January 6 trial.

Those charges are:

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/01/1191493880/trump-january-6-charges-indictment-counts

one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States applies to Trump's repeated and widespread efforts to spread false claims about the November 2020 election while knowing they were not true and for allegedly attempting to illegally discount legitimate votes all with the goal of overturning the 2020 election, prosecutors claim in the indictment.

one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding was brought due to the alleged organized planning by Trump and his allies to disrupt the electoral vote's certification in January 2021.

one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding is tied to Trump and his co-conspirators' alleged efforts after the November 2020 election until Jan. 7, 2021, to block the official certification proceeding in Congress.

one count of conspiracy against rights refers to Trump and his co-conspirators alleged attempts to "oppress, threaten and intimidate" people in their right to vote in an election.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I’m surprised they didn’t consider selling classified submarine plans to be treason, as part of the classified documents case.

At one point in his interviews, Butler says he told investigators that Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt repeated classified submarine secrets following a conversation with Trump in spring 2021.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/11/politics/trump-employee-5-classified-documents-mar-a-lago/index.html

[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 9 points 7 months ago

Semantically, according to US Legal Code you can't commit treason without being at war, and war has not been properly defined by the federal government.

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[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 33 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Is it only about protecting him or also avoiding him discussing unwanted topics with other inmates in that case? He’s still the recipient of privileged information…

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 25 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's exactly this. It's protection for him is a side effect of protecting the country. While these two things will generally overlap, if they ever diverge...

[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah you guys still execute traitors right ? That would be quite the signal xD

[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Apparently only if they are brown or Jewish.

[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

With adequate lighting he certainly looks orange enough verging on brownish ;-)

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[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

From what I remember the secret service can opt to stop protecting him.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Nope.

Under current United States federal law, all former presidents are entitled to lifetime protection from the Secret Service. Barring an act of Congress or a presidential executive order, the Secret Service is bound by law to protect former presidents for life. There aren't any exceptions listed in the statute governing the protection of former presidents. Source

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Barring an act of Congress or a presidential executive order

Could definitely imagine Congress and/or Biden doing that to make sure that Secret Service agents aren't sent to prison for crimes they didn't commit..

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[–] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 7 points 7 months ago

They can't opt out, but HE can.

We just need to convince him that they're spying for the libs or some shit.

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[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 60 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

Trump will not go to a normal prison / gen pop, etc. Toss that thought from your mind.

Trump will die in a shitty military barracks on a shitty military base where he has no internet connection, access to him can be easily controlled & he can't blab state secrets.

There is already a precedent here with Nixon's lawyer.

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[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 47 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I feel like losing the protection of the secret service should be part of being tried and convicted of a crime if you are the president.

[–] Bridger@sh.itjust.works 28 points 7 months ago (5 children)

The secret service will be there to prevent other inmates from beating national secrets out of him.

[–] lazylion_ca@lemmy.ca 6 points 7 months ago (5 children)
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[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago (3 children)

The problem is it makes them an easy target, especially in the future when a conservative court convicts a liberal president over jaywalking or some stupid shit. Slippery slope, I guess is what I'm saying

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[–] Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works 34 points 7 months ago (3 children)

So one thing I don't fully understand is this: the secret service is required by law to protect the former president, but...is there anything that actually requires the state of New York to accommodate the secret service in doing so?

In theory, couldn't the state of New York just actually throw Trump in prison, no special privileges, and also no special accommodations for the secret service?

[–] Colonel_Panic_@lemm.ee 14 points 7 months ago

I would LOVE to see that scenario. Trump goes to prison as he deserves and gets his special accommodations all revoked either by the court or the prison or whatever.

Being immune to repercussions of your crimes because you are in a certain position is a very bad thing.

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[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 29 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The fact that this is where American is at is disgraceful.

This traitor needs the maximum penalty and his supporters need to undergo some sort of education on Russian propoganda.

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[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 26 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

Even if convicted he'll get house arrest. I doubt he will ever see a club Fed from the inside, let alone a supermax.

Maybe a military prison?

[–] nxdefiant@startrek.website 10 points 7 months ago

For the sake of the secret service people, I hope he gets the very first president solitary wing named after him

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[–] nytrixus@lemmy.world 26 points 7 months ago (5 children)

He's never going to prison. That's all power-fantasy at this point. How many times in the past 8 years have we've heard this shit in and out? "Oh he's so going to prison for this one thing he did!" "Oh he's definitely going to prison for THAT..."

8 years and this clown is openly doing his shit.

[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 13 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Even the prosecutor was only asking for $1k for each violation of the gag order. That's just limp wristed finger wagging. I don't really see the point in this charade. Anybody else would be in prison for pulling that shit.

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[–] Devdogg@lemmy.ml 25 points 7 months ago (6 children)

I was reading somewhere that congress has introduced legislation barring the secret service from protecting the president once the president is convicted. But good luck getting that passed.

[–] Izzgo@kbin.social 41 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Ex presidents get protection as much because they are a security risk as for their own safety.

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[–] sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works 23 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Kind of like Egyptian kings getting buried with their servants.

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[–] FiniteBanjo@lemmy.today 20 points 7 months ago

Maybe they'll get lucky and his cameras will go off for a while when he's on "constant suicide watch."

[–] twistypencil@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I hope that this happens and every single SS agent assigned to this post quits. Who would take a job to be in jail protecting a farting lunatic? Welcome to the SS Johnson, your entire life will be spent behind bars!

[–] frezik@midwest.social 15 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

ACAB, and the Secret Service is full of cops. They like Trump. That's very clear from their internal memos about the Oath Keepers prior to Jan 6:

https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/emails-reveal-secret-service-contacts-with-oath-keepers/

If Trump tried to plan a prison break right in front of them, they would probably pretend they heard nothing.

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[–] robocall@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's unsatisfying to say, but house arrest would make the most sense for the secret service.

[–] treefrog@lemm.ee 7 points 7 months ago

But not for the judge.

One of the reasons he's being found in contempt is for making threatening comments on social media. Jail stops that behavior. House arrest does not.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 10 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Why not just build a small presidential prison?

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

We already have prisons to hold spies.

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[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago

Why? If he's a convicted criminal, strip his salary and all his benefits, including the secret service.

[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 9 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Throw him in a solitary super max prison cell. Security won't be needed.

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[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 7 months ago

Im sure he'll be very secure without them. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADX_Florence

[–] jennwiththesea@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago

Maybe we would finally get prison reform, then

[–] pyrate37@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

Cool, take them all to a black site in one of those shithole countries he rants about. Guantanamo Bay still open?

[–] MakePorkGreatAgain@lemmy.basedcount.com 7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

obviously it wouldnt be prison like real prison but more of like goodfellas prison

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[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Other countries have jailed their leaders. If you’re a felon and get jailed as a former President I figure you should lose everything, SS protection, any pension and any benefits are gone too. Why should a jailed president get those things?

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[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 6 points 7 months ago

I was hoping this was about the Secret Service deleting insurrection related text messages, but sadly not.

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