Former President Donald Trump could be charged with obstruction of justice and, if he loses, face up to 20 years in prison, according to revelations from federal prosecutors, who point out that there is “sufficient evidence” against the Republican
Former President Donald Trump could be charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) with obstruction of justice over the classified documents he took to his residence in Mar-a-Lago, as federal prosecutors have “enough evidence.” .
The problem that prosecutors find, according to a Bloomberg report, is the relevance of charging the Republican at this time.
Because of this, there may not be an indictment as soon as some would like. There is also no formal recommendation to Attorney General Merrick Garland for him to make a decision to move forward or not in this process.
The report adds that, if an accusation is formalized, it would be after the November 8 elections, although perhaps before Christmas.
Among the evidence, it is indicated that the former president would have decided to hide and eliminate documents that were kept in Mar-a-Lago in a specific and secure area, in which the investigators had asked him to keep documents from the White House, while the investigation progressed.
Another issue that stops the prosecutors is the comprehensive review of the documents and a final classification, which was stopped when a “special teacher” was authorized to review the information, something that should end on December 16.
The report indicates that the former president could face three charges, one of which is obstruction of justice, but also violations of federal statutes with the mishandling of official documents, although there could be other unspecified charges.
In a case where a formal accusation is achieved and prosecutors succeed in court, the former president would face up to 20 years in prison, if the main crime is proven, that is, obstruction of justice.
In judicial proceedings, prosecutors are not always able to prove all the accusations, so other accusations against the Republican – in case of losing – would take him between three and 10 years in prison.
In addition to that investigation, the Justice Department is investigating Trump for the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 in his efforts to obstruct the certification of Electoral College votes.
Frank Figliuzzi, a former deputy director for counterintelligence at the FBI, told Bloomberg that the allegations against Trump are serious and he believes he could be indicted.
“Of all the things that Trump is being investigated for across the country, obstruction of justice is a no brainer and I think he is going to be charged,” he said.