American lawmaker pushes bill to strip Donald Trump of Secret Service protection if he is sentenced to jail
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced the Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act, a bill he says will strip former US President Trump of Secret service protection if it is passed into law.
Trump was found guilty on felony charges Thursday, raising potential challenges for the Secret Service responsible for protecting him.
Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York v. Trump. The charges were related to alleged payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence pornographic performer Stormy Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital sexual encounter with Trump. Trump denied all charges and any affair with Daniels.
But the conviction raises the possibility the presumed 2024 Republican nominee could end up being barred. That development would raise questions, including how his Secret Service protection would adapt.
“Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protectee — even a former President,” Thompson said in a statement. “It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality.”
“This bill would remove the potential for conflicting lines of authority within prisons and allow judges to weigh the sentencing of individuals without having to factor in the logistical concerns of convicts with Secret Service protection,”
In a statement, the Secret Service said the outcome of the case “has no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission.”
“Our security measures will proceed unchanged,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams previously said the city’s Department of Corrections and the Rikers Island prison in New York are “ready” to receive Trump.
Asked if Trump would be housed by himself or with the general population, a Department of Corrections spokesman said last month, “The Department would find appropriate housing for him if he winds up in our custody.”
Even though Trump’s sentencing is in July, a series of lengthy appeals that could rise to the Supreme Court would likely follow and postpone any possible imprisonment till after the 2024 elections.
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