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Trump joins list of ex-presidents around the world who have been prosecuted in criminal cases

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Trump joins list of ex-presidents around the world who have been prosecuted in criminal cases

The legal indictment of former President Trump is unprecedented, however solely so far as U.S. historical past goes.

All over the world, quite a few former heads of presidency have ended up within the dock and sometimes behind bars, in democracies younger and previous.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president of Brazil on Jan. 1, about three years after he emerged from spending 20 months in jail. He was convicted of cash laundering and different corrupt practices throughout his earlier time period as president, from 2003 to 2010.

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Not solely was a former president prosecuted and despatched to jail, however being an ex-con didn’t stop him from searching for election once more. (His conviction was finally annulled by Brazil’s excessive court docket.)

All over the world, presidents and prime ministers are sometimes faraway from workplace by legal investigations, or alleged crimes come again to hang-out them after they’ve left workplace. It’s so frequent that it not often raises too many eyebrows.

In South Korea, three former presidents have been convicted of corruption expenses — one whereas in workplace, who was impeached, and two after leaving workplace — and sentenced to lengthy jail phrases. All had been finally given decreased sentences or pardoned.

In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu ran for election late final 12 months though he was on trial for corruption. His social gathering and its coalition companions received, and he’s as soon as once more prime minister after two earlier tenures from 1996 to 1999 and 2009 to 2021. They’re utilizing their energy to try to alter the Israeli judiciary to reduce future accountability, a transfer that has triggered huge demonstrations all through the nation by offended Israelis who say they’re defending democracy.

Does the relative ease with which former chief executives are prosecuted counsel that the wheels of justice and accountability are stronger in different international locations? Not essentially.

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Usually it’s the very weak point of the system and absence of guardrails that permit straightforward prosecution and removing of leaders.

Peru, with its shaky political system, would possibly maintain the world document on this entrance. Nearly each Peruvian president within the final 38 years has been convicted of crimes whereas in workplace, faces prosecution or is combating extradition from one other nation to keep away from having to confront justice.

And but one of many world’s oldest and most secure democracies, France, has additionally punished alleged wrongdoing on the highest ranges of presidency.

Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France from 2007 to 2012, was repeatedly investigated for a number of corruption expenses after he left workplace. He was convicted in 2021 of tampering with a judicial case to his profit and sentenced to 3 years in jail. He denied guilt. One other case opened towards the politically conservative however stylistically flamboyant former president in 2013 accused him of getting accepted hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi to illegally finance his 2007 marketing campaign. Sarkozy additionally denied these allegations.

It appears the USA is nearly distinctive amongst democracies in the way in which with which it treats its former presidents with child gloves. Different democracies don’t afford their leaders the identical stage of near-immunity that U.S. custom does. Consultants say that is due partly to a U.S. want to take a position stability within the viability of its leaders.

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Nevertheless, by no means earlier than Trump had a chief govt routinely flouted norms.

“We’ve been very fortunate within the U.S. to not often have presidents who’ve exhibited such blatant disregard for the regulation,” stated Mark Schmitt, director of the political reform program on the New America suppose tank in Washington, D.C.

The exception, he famous, was Richard Nixon, who was compelled to resign however pardoned by his successor Gerald Ford earlier than any indictments might be handed down.

“We’re not a lot ‘averse to accountability’ as fortunate, however there could also be some options of our system that may assist with that, such because the nonpolitical civil service and the nominal independence of companies such because the Federal Reserve,” Schmitt stated.

Trump supporters have expressed disbelief on the Manhattan grand jury determination to indict the previous president, who withstood an unprecedented two impeachments whereas in workplace.

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The previous president’s allies have maintained that indicting him is “un-American.” And in some methods, up till this level, it has been.

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Politics

148 House Democrats vote against bill to deport migrants who assault police

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148 House Democrats vote against bill to deport migrants who assault police

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A bill aimed at booting illegal immigrants out of the U.S. if they assault a police officer passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening.

It’s one of several pieces of legislation that House Republican leaders are putting up for a vote this week as part of National Police Week.

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The bill passed with a 265 to 148 vote, with 54 Democrats voting with the GOP.

VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM COMPARES SUPREME COURT PRAYER DECISION TO TALIBAN, CALLS FOR COURT-PACKING

A significant number of House Democrats, who are led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, shunned the House GOP’s bill. (Getty Images)

The bill is called the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act and is led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. 

He said in February when the bill was being introduced, “There is no reason that an illegal alien who attacks our law enforcement should remain in our country; that shows zero respect for our rule of law or our institutions, and they will not be positive contributors to society.”

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The bill would require illegal immigrants to be detained by federal authorities until they can be deported. It would also “create a new category for migrant inadmissibility” specifically dealing with illegal immigrants who were accused of assaulting police, Van Drew said.

GOP HOPES FOR HOLDING HOUSE COULD COME DOWN TO 6 RACES IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE

Times Square brawl

This image from video shows a brawl between New York City Police Department officers and illegal immigrants in Times Square on Jan. 27, 2024. (Manhattan District Attorney via AP)

The No. 3 House Republican, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital when the bill passed, “House Democrats just voted to protect violent illegal immigrants over our brave law enforcement officers. Once again, the Democrat Party proves they are the most anti-law enforcement party in history.”

It comes after several recent instances of illegal immigrants attacking police have gained national attention as the country continues to grapple with the ongoing illegal immigration crisis at the southern border.

ONE OF NATION’S MOST VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS COZIES UP TO BIDEN FOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

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Speaker Mike Johnson

Speaker Mike Johnson is having the House vote on a host of National Police Week-related bills. (Getty Images)

 

A group of illegal immigrants was seen on video violently attacking two New York City police officers in Times Square in late January.

And in early March, a man who came to the U.S. illegally was accused of killing a Washington State Patrol trooper when he crashed into him on an interstate highway, according to Fox 13.

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California legislators want to review controversial electric charge

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California legislators want to review controversial electric charge

A state Assembly committee voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would require a legislative review of a controversial new monthly fixed charge on electric bills.

The state Public Utilities Commission, which is led by appointees of Gov. Gavin Newsom, approved the $24.15 a month charge last week. In return for paying the new fee, consumers will get a lower rate for each kilowatt hour of power they use.

The Newsom administration says the new billing structure is needed to encourage more people to buy electric cars and replace gas appliances in their homes, which would reduce the use of planet-warming fossil fuels.

A coalition of more than 250 consumer and other groups has been protesting against the new monthly charge, saying that millions of Californians who live in apartments or small homes that use little electricity will see their bills increase to subsidize those using far more power.

Several members of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy said Wednesday that there should have been a discussion about the new fixed charge in 2022. That was when Newsom proposed it in a massive bill tied to his budget. In a few days it passed with little public discussion.

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Pacific Gas and Electric had asked the commission for the new monthly fee in a regulatory filing just three months before the bill’s approval.

“We should have had this discussion two years ago,” said Marc Berman, a Democrat from Menlo Park. “We really don’t know the impact this will have.”

In January, Jacqui Irwin, a Thousand Oaks Democrat, introduced a bill to undo much of Newsom’s 2022 bill.

Assembly leaders last month stopped Irwin’s bill from being heard in committee, but she then agreed to weaken the bill.

Her current bill, known as AB 1999, would require a study in 2028 of who pays more or less under the new $24.15 charge and whether it has unintended consequences. She said the legislature would then decide how the fee should be changed.

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The coalition has argued that Newsom’s bill will cause a financial windfall for the electric companies because it eliminated a $10 cap on fixed charges that had been in place since 2013.

Irwin’s bill would keep the utilities from raising the fixed charge by more than inflation.

The new charge affects customers of investor-owned power companies, including PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric. It does not apply to customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power or other municipal utilities.

Irwin said Wednesday that the Legislature needed to review the fixed charge rather than leaving the decision to the utilities commission. She said the commission had become “a rubber stamp” for utilities’ requests.

The committee voted 9 to 0 to advance the bill to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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The fixed charges are scheduled to begin as soon as late 2025.

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Vulnerable Dem incumbents move to the center in key swing states as Biden panders to far-left base

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Vulnerable Dem incumbents move to the center in key swing states as Biden panders to far-left base

Democratic incumbent Senate candidates across the country in key battleground states are moving more and more to the center and right as polls continue to show President Biden trailing former President Trump in many key swing states.

Biden trails Trump in six battleground states with about six months to go before the election, according to Fox News polling last month, with Biden finding himself behind in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.

Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen has made it a point to tout her bipartisan credentials on the campaign trail.

“I know what Nevada families are going through,” Rosen said in her first ad launching her re-election campaign. “It’s why I first ran for Congress. And it’s why in the Senate, I’ve worked with both parties to solve problems. And always focused on making a difference in people’s lives.”

NEVER SAY NEVER-TRUMP: BIDEN LEAVES GOP MODERATES WITH ‘NO ALTERNATIVE’ BUT TO BACK FORMER PRESIDENT

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Democratic senators, from left, Jon Tester, Jacky Rosen, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin and Bob Casey (Getty Images: Anna Moneymaker, Drew Angerer, Ethan Miller, Sarah Silbiger)

Rosen, like many other incumbent Democrats, is in a tough re-election campaign under the backdrop of historically low approval ratings for Biden, while also carrying a record of voting with the president 98.6% of the time last year, Fox News Digital reported.

“Since day one, Sen. Jacky Rosen has worked to get things done in a bipartisan way,” a Rosen campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “That’s why she’s been recognized as one of the most bipartisan and effective senators in the nation. No matter what year it is, Sen. Rosen will always be focused on bringing Republicans and Democrats together to deliver for Nevadans.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen

Sen. Jacky Rosen, speaks to the media after a Senate Democratic policy luncheon on Oct. 17, 2023, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

Longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is up for re-election in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, which Biden narrowly won in 2020 in a race he has acknowledged will be “tough.”

Casey recently distanced himself from the defund the police movement, despite recent endorsements from groups advocating that police departments be defended, and promoting a bill that would have overhauled policing practices at the height of 2020s protests and riots. 

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‘BIDEN HAS FAILED’: DEMS SOUND OFF AFTER HANDLING OF BORDER CRISIS FRACTURES THEIR OWN PARTY

President Joe Biden

President Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024, in Atlanta. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Casey has faced strong criticism from his Republican opponent, businessman Dave McCormick, for allegedly shifting positions on key issues like immigration over the years, particularly when he is up for re-election.

The Pennsylvania Democrat has adopted a populist message on the economy, where Biden is underwater with voters, according to Fox News polling, by attacking “greedflation” – a blunt term for corporations that jack up prices and rip off shoppers to maximize profits – and trying to reframe the election-year narrative about the economy.

“Casey’s biggest vulnerability is the Biden administration,” GOP consultant Vince Galko recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Casey wins or loses based on what Biden does in the next couple of months.”

Sen. Bob Casey

Sen. Bob Casey leaves the Capitol after a vote on April 18, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Casey campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said, “Bob Casey is consistently ranked among the most effective and bipartisan senators in Washington and has worked across the aisle to create jobs and lower costs. Meanwhile, his opponent David McCormick has only worked to increase his bottom line, from outsourcing American jobs to investing in Chinese military companies.” 

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In Wisconsin, Dem. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is running in a state Trump won in 2016 and narrowly lost in 2020, and she has attempted to position herself as a “pro worker” candidate who champions the needs of the working class.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, April 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

While Baldwin often touts her relationship with Biden, she recently joined several other vulnerable Democrats and opposed the president’s unfreezing of Iranian assets in October.

“Tammy Baldwin is willing to work with and stand up to anyone if it means getting the job done for Wisconsin,” Baldwin campaign spokesperson Andrew Mamo told Fox News Digital. “She has stood up for our workers by voting to repeal President Biden’s policy that let China cheat in the solar industry and successfully pausing his Indo-Pacific trade deal, and has gone to bat for our farmers by taking on the FDA for their wrongheaded decision to allow plant-based products to use the good name of Wisconsin milk.”

Incumbent Democratic senators in Ohio and Montana are also finding themselves in close races, with the Cook Political Report labeling both a “toss up,” prompting each senator to publicly take more moderate positions.

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Voting booths, man with glasses, mustache, in jacket voting

President Biden trails former President Trump in almost every single battleground state, often by a significant margin. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Sherrod Brown has served as a Democrat representing Ohio in the Senate since 2007 and finds himself running for re-election in a state that Trump carried by eight points in 2020 and is expected to carry again.

Brown, who carries with him a record of voting with Biden 99% of the time from 2021-2023, and 97% of the time since 2023, has broken with the president on a few issues in recent months.

Brown became only the second Democrat earlier this month to oppose Biden’s electric vehicle tax credit plan, Politico reported, and also bucked the president over his repeal of Title 42 last year. 

Brown Biden

Sen. Sherrod Brown and President Biden (Getty Images)

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, running in a state that Trump carried by almost 20 points in 2020, has been described by his GOP challenger Tim Sheehy as “two-faced” during election years, and has been taking positions to the right of Biden on key issues such as immigration.

Tester recently became the first Democrat in the Senate to back the Laken Riley Act, which would require federal officials to arrest illegal immigrants charged with certain crimes like burglary, similar to the illegal immigrant alleged to have killed the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student for whom the bill is named.

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Tester has publicly criticized Biden’s handling of the border and recently secured over $10 million to support law enforcement in Montana. 

“Jon Tester does what’s right for Montana. President Trump signed more than 20 of his bills into law, including to help veterans, crack down on government waste and abuse, and support our first responders, and Jon stood up to President Biden by demanding action be taken to secure our border and protect Montana’s way of life,” Tester campaign spokesperson Monica Robinson told Fox News Digital. “That’s why Jon has been ranked one of the most effective U.S. senators of either party.”

While incumbent Democrats across the country move to the middle and pitch themselves as pragmatic problem solvers who work across the aisle, Biden faces accusations of moving even further to the left on issues such as the conflict between Israel and Hamas and student loan handouts. 

Biden has faced criticism, including from his own donors, over threatening to delay weapons shipments to Israel if they continue a military campaign to rid Hamas from the city of Rafah, Gaza. Republicans have alleged that Biden is siding with progressive activists in his own party in an attempt to win over voters in key swing areas like Dearborn, Michigan, rather than give full support to Israel. 

Sen. Jon Tester

Sen. Jon Tester recently became the first Democrat in the Senate to back the Laken Riley Act. (Getty Images)

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Biden has made a noticeable effort in recent months to win back his Democratic base by holding events with progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in April and issuing a “flurry of left-leaning policy announcements,” according to Axios. 

Biden continues to be plagued by historically low approval numbers and low popularity in key swing states as Republicans grow more and more optimistic about taking back control of the Senate, which Democrats currently hold 51-49.

Polling this week shows that Democratic incumbents, or likely nominees, in the Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Senate races all lead their respective GOP opponents, or hypothetical opponents, with less than six months to go until the general election in November, but the president trails Trump in almost every single battleground state, often by a significant margin.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report

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