(NewsReady.com) – Every president of the US receives Secret Service protection from the time they are the nominee of their party until they die. Former President Donald Trump began receiving the extra security in 2015 before he was elected POTUS. Apparently, that protection would not end, even if he were to go to jail.
On April 4, Trump was arrested in Manhattan and arraigned on 34 charges. The former president is accused of falsifying business records in an attempt to hide alleged hush money payments in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Joseph Cosgrove, a former judge on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and the Court of Commons of the 11th Judicial District in Pennsylvania, spoke to Sky News about the possibility of the 45th president going to jail.
Business Insider reported the judge said it doesn’t matter where Trump goes, “he will have Secret Service protection.”
Trump's Secret Service agents would accompany him if he went to jail, says retired US judge https://t.co/kImdwB6Bkz
— Insider Politics (@insiderpolitics) April 4, 2023
Secret Service protection for presidents began in 1901, after Presidents James A. Garfield, Abraham Lincoln, and William McKinley were assassinated. In 1958, the Former Presidents Act granted that protection to presidents for the rest of their lives as long as they have not been removed from office. Since former POTUS Trump was not convicted at his impeachment trials, he still qualifies for lifetime protection — no matter where he goes.
Although some experts believe it’s highly unlikely he would go to jail for the Manhattan charges, it’s a possibility if he’s convicted. A jail would be incredibly dangerous for a former president to serve time, making it even more important they receive Secret Service protection. Since a former president has never been sentenced to jail, it’s all new territory. It’s not even clear where he would go, where a jail would place him in the facility, or if the state would decide that house arrest would be the best option. Then there is the possibility that Trump wins the presidential race in 2024 and what would happen. A lot of questions still need answering.
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