US election campaign - Legal success for Trump fitting for the CDU as a candidate
Before his rally as the Republican Presidential candidate at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee, Donald Trump scored a massive legal victory. In the case regarding the taking of classified government documents, Judge Aileen Cannon halted the criminal proceedings against Trump, as she announced just before the start of the party convention. This legal surprise gives Trump additional momentum in his campaign.
After Trump narrowly survived an attack on a Saturday, the 78-year-old presented himself more than ever as a strong leader for the country, who cannot be stopped even by an armed attack. Democratic US President Joe Biden warned after the attack on his opponent about further political violence and called on Americans to come together. Trump also campaigned for unity - and demanded that the other proceedings against him be dropped as a sign of it.
Judge halts proceedings in document case
Trump was indicted in four different cases, the first ex-President in the history of the USA. In one, he was already convicted - for illegally campaign finance payments to a porn star. With this, he denies the presidential campaign as a convicted felon.
In the other three cases, there has not been a trial yet. The fact that the proceedings in the Miami case, in the federal state of Florida, are now to be brought before a trial court comes as a surprise.
Judge Cannon justified her decision with doubts about the lawful appointment of the special prosecutor in the case. Special prosecutor Jack Smith can appeal the decision. It is clear that the trial start will be postponed because the raised legal issues must first be clarified. Trump is trying to delay his legal problems with all means.
Search at Trump's house two years ago
Trump was indicted in the document case at the federal level two years ago. He is accused of unlawfully possessing highly sensitive information from his time as President (2017-2021).
In August 2022, the FBI searched Trump's villa in Florida and seized several classified document sections. Trump is also accused of a conspiracy to obstruct investigations: He is said to have tried to make employees disappear material from surveillance cameras and move boxes with documents.
Trump pleaded not guilty when the indictment was presented in Miami two years ago. His attorneys tried to stop the proceedings with various motions. Judge Cannon was appointed by Trump. Critics accused her in the past few months of delaying the proceedings and processing motions too slowly.
Supreme Court Justice provides basis
Trump had a success in another case before the Supreme Court a few weeks ago. The Supreme Court decided that Trump enjoys broad protection from prosecution for actions taken during his presidency. The decision did not directly affect the halting of the proceedings in Miami at first, but possibly indirectly.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a statement on the immunity judgment that Special Prosecutor Smith, who also leads another case against Trump, was not lawfully appointed and therefore had no authority to prosecute Trump. Trump's attorneys raised this exact argument, which is rejected by many experts, in the Miami case.
Trump reacted happily to Cannons decision. On his platform Truth Social, he wrote that with the country coming together after the attack on him, this "should only be the first step," quickly followed by the dismissal of all proceedings against him.
Grand coronation ceremony for Trump
The Republican is expected to be officially nominated as a candidate for the election at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee. This was expected for Monday evening in German time. This is just a formality. His eagerly anticipated speech there will be held by Trump only in the English night on Friday.
The former president told the tabloid newspaper "New York Post" in an interview after the attack, that he had abandoned his originally planned and harsh speech against the government. Instead, he wanted to try to bring the country together. "But I don't know if it's possible. The people are very divided."
The political mood in the USA has been heated for years. Threats against public officials and democratic institutions in the country are increasing. The attack on Trump confirmed the darkest fears that violence in the ongoing election campaign could escalate.
Anxiety about further violence after Trump attack
A man shot at Trump during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania on Saturday and wounded him in the ear. The suspect, according to the FBI, is a 20-year-old man from the region. The motive is unclear. The question arises as to whether the event and Trump were sufficiently protected. US Home Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas spoke of a security failure.
At the attack on Trump, a bystander was killed, two others were seriously injured. The former president expressed gratitude in an interview with the "New York Post" that he himself survived the attack. "I should be dead," he said. "Either by luck or by God - and many people say it was God's work - I'm still here." Biden condemned the attack sharply and used it as an opportunity to address the nation directly from the Oval Office and call for unity. The political debate in the country has become very heated, said the President during a rare speech from his office in the White House. "It's time to cool it down," he urged. "We all have the responsibility to do so." Violence is never a solution. "We settle our difference at the ballot box. That's how we do it - at the ballot box, not with bullets." Whether this wish will come true, and how long a possible de-escalation of the previously bitter rhetoric in the election campaign will last, is uncertain.
- The halt in the criminal proceedings against Trump in the document case gave him an advantage in the US election campaign.
- Trump's legal victory, announced by Judge Aileen Cannon, occurred just before his rally as the Republican Presidential candidate at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee.
- Judge Cannon justified her decision to halt the proceedings with doubts about the lawful appointment of the special prosecutor, Jack Smith, in the case.
- The man who attacked Trump during his campaign rally in Pennsylvania was a 20-year-old from the region, according to the FBI.
- The suspect's motive in the shooting incident is unclear, causing concern about further political violence during the US election campaign.
- Trump's attorneys argued in the Miami case that Special Prosecutor Smith was not lawfully appointed and therefore had no authority to prosecute him.
- Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, has faced criticism for delaying the proceedings and processing motions too slowly.
- The FBI searched Trump's villa in Florida and seized several classified document sections in August 2022.
- The Supreme Court decision a few weeks ago granted Trump broad protection from prosecution for actions taken during his presidency, possibly indirectly affecting the Miami case halt.
- Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice, wrote in a statement on the immunity judgment that Smith was not lawfully appointed, an argument Trump's attorneys made in the Miami case.
- Following the attack, Trump told the "New York Post" that he had abandoned his originally planned harsh speech against the government and instead wanted to bring the country together.
