To be real, if someone had predicted ten years ago that a U.S. president would go to jail, you probably would have thought it was a joke. And if they specified Donald Trump, you might have been even more skeptical. Yet, here we are, with a former president now behind bars.
So, what led to this situation? It wasn’t merely a single mistake. It was a series of audacious moves, questionable decisions, and a lot of legal entanglements. In this post, we’ll highlight the five significant events that brought Trump in jail.
That Stormy Daniels Situation
Speaking of Trump in Jail, Just ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer at the time, paid Daniels $130,000. The purpose of this payment was to stop her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump from years before. Although it’s not illegal to pay someone to keep quiet, the manner in which the payment was executed became a point of contention.
Trump’s business categorized the payment as a legal expense, but that wasn’t the case. It was actually hush money. Prosecutors argued that this misrepresentation of business records turned it into a crime, as it was meant to hide something that could have swayed the election.
Michael Cohen ended up behind bars for his involvement in the matter. For a long time, it seemed like Trump would come out of it without any issues. Yet, years after leaving the White House, he was faced with a criminal case in New York. This hush money case was the first to go to trial, and it ultimately resulted in Trump in jail..
The “Find 11,780 Votes” Phone Call
Trump received defeat from Georgia in the 2020 election cycle. Trump rejected defeat through a telephone call to Brad Raffensperger who oversees Georgia election operations. Trump stated to Raffensperger during their discussion that he wanted to locate 11,780 votes because that specific number would swing the election results his way.
This call wasn’t confidential as it was recorded. Once it became public, it triggered a criminal investigation in Georgia and the chances of Trump in Jail increased
The prosecution team studied the entire situation beyond the call transcripts. The prosecutors identified Trump and his team as participants who took part in a wider conspiracy to manipulate the elector results through their support of false electors and continued false allegations of electoral fraud.
The RICO law in Georgia enabled prosecutors to charge a set of defendants including Trump due to their alleged act of mob-inspired criminal activities.
The Boxes of Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago
The departure of Trump from the White House included items beyond furniture and personal possessions. Trump physically removed multiple boxes containing classified information among which several sensitive items directly related to national defense matters.
So, where did he stash them? At his Florida resort—Mar-a-Lago. The documents were not safeguarded in any special vault since displayed in various locations throughout his property. The storage boxes appeared throughout various locations in Mar-a-Lago resort as they were discovered in a storage area before being located in a restroom and eventually in a ballroom.
The government asked to regain possession of their confiscated documents while Trump continued holding onto them. The investigators stated Trump in jail unsuccessfully tried to hide these documents while enlisting his staff to assist him in the concealment.
The Trump in jail situation evolved to create a separate federal charge linked to secret material handling and justice obstruction. It was a big deal. The president was accused of intentionally compromising national security information which created danger for classified national intelligence materials.
January 6: The Day the Capitol Was Attacked
Thousands of supporters of Trump entered into the U.S. Capitol during that specific day. The Senate and House of Representatives within Congress prepared for their official vote counting procedure to declare Joe Biden as president in the coming years.
Trump reached the crowd shortly before the riot as he repeated unproven election fraud allegations while ordering his supporters to battle. The uproar from this spark led to broken windows and violent confrontations with police while lawmakers took refuge for their protection. While citizens were demanding Trump in jail.
The investigation of Trump’s behavior was conducted to determine his involvement in the Capitol attack despite his absence from the storming. The investigation might have landed Trump in jail.
He received federal prosecution because he attempted to change election results while trying to stop Congress’s operations. Those involved in his case presented him as a man who could neither accept his loss nor sit idly by to preserve his position of authority.
This Time, Its Worse
For quite some time, Trump in jail managed to sidestep any significant consequences. There were lawsuits, investigations, and scandals, but nothing ever really seemed to affect him.
Prosecutors wasted no time in filing genuine criminal charges, and soon enough, the cases began to accumulate rapidly.
As the legal drama played out, the hush money case sped ahead. It was clear-cut, money was exchanged, records were tampered with, and laws were breached. When it finally went to trial, the jury ruled Trump in jai guilty.
That was the turning point that got Trump almost in Jail. Trump shifted from his position as former President to being a convicted felon when the court declared the verdict. Trump in jai legal situation eventually developed into incarceration due to his crime.
Trump in jail continues to face more legal troubles in different states and in federal court. His lawyers are attempting to appeal the conviction, and he’s still pushing to run for president again.
