What Legal Problems Does Presidential Candidate Trump Face?

On November 15, 2022, Donald Trump announced that he will run again for president in 2024. However, he faces a host of criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. First, former President Trump faces an on-going criminal investigation for retaining government documents, some marked “”top secret” and classified”, after he left office in January, 2020. In August, 2022, the FBI seized over 11,000 government documents from his Florida estate. The U.S. Justice Department is currently reviewing those documents. Next, a House of Representatives committee is currently investigating Mr. Trump for his role in the attack upon the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. In October, 2022, the committee issued a subpoena to Mr. Trump for testimony. The committee is expected to make findings and possibly make a referral to the U,S, Justice Department for a criminal probe. Third, in Georgia, a special grand jury has been empaneled to investigate Mr. Trump’s alleged efforts to influence the state’s election results in 2020. This could result in state law charges against Mr. Trump and others. Next, in New York, the Trump Organization is currently on trial on charges of criminal tax fraud. Although Mr. Trump is not personally charged in that case, a conviction of his company could severely limit its ability to do business in New York and other places. Finally, the New York Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against both Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization, alleging misleading asset valuations to obtain more favorable loan terms. This could result in substantial financial sanctions for Mr. Trump and his organization.