What are the allegations against Trump doing to the Republican Party?

Accusations are piling up against former US President Donald Trump. Today it was announced that Trump will be indicted for his role in the January 2021 attack on the Capitol. Cases have already been registered for misusing election results. $5 million in abuse and defamation lawsuits against Trump. The question is what all the accusations are doing to the Republican Party; The divisions within the Congress party are deepening.

Most of the Republican criticism comes from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Not entirely surprising given that DeSantis is Trump’s main opponent in the Republican race for the White House. “DeSantis is very good at making it clear that Trump should not say his name publicly,” says journalist and US expert Laila Frank.

Funnel

At the same time, Trump is still at the top of the polls. But since we’re talking about primaries, Frank says not to put too much weight on those polls. Trump supporters will vote for him anyway, and at the end of the primaries are like a funnel. People are leaving and rallying behind another candidate.’

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Nevertheless, Frank sees that things are starting to go haywire within the party. For many, Trump was the best president they’ve ever had. But they are getting a little tired of the drama.’ And Ron DeSantis needs to get them behind him.

Jail

Whether the Republican Party will abandon Trump remains to be seen in the primaries. But whether he too legally escapes the dance remains to be seen. “It’s ridiculous, but even if Trump is in court or in prison, he can run,” said Kenneth Manusama, an expert on US constitutional law.

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He thinks Trump has some legal options. “He can use the allegations politically to motivate his supporters, but he can’t really do much.” Trump has four days to respond to new charges for his role in the attack on the Capitol.

Evidence

According to Manusama, the allegation is beyond the events of January 6, 2021. “It’s about the path before that. After that, we talk about the manipulation of the Election Commission among other things. And he tried to pressure his own Vice President, Mike Pence. The evidence against Trump is legion. “There are videos, there are audios, there are evidences,” says Manusama.

So, despite a conviction, Trump can become President of the United States. ‘There is no constitutional context for this,’ says Manusama. “That could lead to a constitutional crisis because this situation needs to be resolved politically.”

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Political thing

That makes many of the allegations against Trump — whichever way you look at it — a political thing. However, apart from the charges, there was no conviction. “As long as they don’t, Trump can easily maintain that this is a politically motivated witch hunt.”