WHY IS TRUMP SO DESPERATE TO HANG ON TO THE JOB? iT'S AN EASY ANSWER
1. Campaign finance violations. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen admitted in 2018 that he arranged hush money payments using campaign funds to stop Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who both alleged that they had affairs with Trump, from sharing their stories during the 2016 election cycle. Cohen was sent to prison for his part in these crimes, and although he admitted that Trump directed him to make the payments, Trump avoided prosecution at the time because of his status as the president. But Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. is still looking into these allegations, and when Trump leaves office, he could still be charged in relation to the payments.
2. Tax fraud. The Manhattan DA is also actively pursuing an investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization's taxes, and the potential implications are massive. Trump lost an appeal in October to stop the DA from subpoenaing his tax returns, which the DA has suggested will show "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct" that could lead to years behind bars.
3. Real estate fraud. Since 2019, the New York attorney general has been investigating allegations that Trump and his company have routinely inflated the value of his properties in order to secure loans and reduce his taxes. Trump has refused to participate in the investigation thus far, using his status as the president as an excuse. But starting at 12:01 p.m. on January 20, he can no longer hide from the investigation.
4. Conspiracy to defraud the United States. Put simply: It's illegal for anyone to agree to obstruct the work of a federal agency—in this case, the United States Postal Service. If Trump and his administration are found to have made attempts to sabotage the Postal Service in an effort to influence the results of the 2020 election, they can all be held liable.
5. Violating the emoluments clause. Trump has repeatedly used the office of the president to promote his private businesses and make money. There are currently three active lawsuits against Trump for violating the emoluments clause by hosting foreign officials at multiple Trump properties during his time in office and accepting large sums of money from them without consent from Congress.
6. Violating the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act bars federal employees from engaging in certain political activities while on the job, and although the president is not technically bound by the Hatch Act, he can still be held criminally liable for coercing other federal employees to violate it—as Trump did multiple times in 2020 alone by holding campaign events at the White House.
7. Obstruction of justice. In his report on the Trump campaign's involvement in 2016 election interference, special counsel Robert Mueller identified at least 10 instances of Trump obstructing justice through his attempts to stop the investigation, fire those involved, stop the disclosure of evidence, and more.
8. Bribery. The crux of the impeachment case against Trump was bribery. He withheld nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine and asked that officials find dirt on then-candidate Joe Biden in return for the aid being released. Although he was acquitted in a sham trial in the Senate, the Constitution does not bar Trump from facing criminal charges for this bribery once leaving office.
9. Sexual assault. At least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct and sexual assault since the 1970s, and there are two active lawsuits brought by survivors against Trump which will move forward after he leaves office.
Any one of these crimes would be enough to result in serious legal consequences for people outside of public office—and in just 15 days, that will be Donald Trump.