United States | News & Politics

What does it mean for a president to be in prison? Does he take his secret service? Does he basically have to stay isolated? Like seriously what are the logistics?

We have some indication of how that would play out. John Dean, Nixon's White House counsel, served prison time in a military facility in Baltimore for his involvement with Watergate. It can be done.

Also, if he is sentenced to prison, are we going to see violence from his supporters?

Almost certainly yes, I think. His supporters have shown themselves to be capable of violence in support of him, and counter to what they incorrectly perceive as a "witch hunt." It will definitely be ... "interesting." But I don't think it will rise to the level of full-on civil war.

If he is not held accountable, does that mean the next president will push it further?

This whole situation demonstrates what happens when a good portion of the rules of government depend on the honor and decorum of its elected officials, and then someone in the highest office in the land, along with their sycophants, set completely aside honor and decorum. The landscape of US politics has already been forever changed, and all of these indictments and their trials and consequences are a necessary reaction to the change. There must be real consequences, and I don't mean a slap on the wrist, otherwise any hope of real democracy is lost.

If he is found guilty and imprisoned, does that mean his supporters are going to cause disruptions?

They certainly will, as above. Whether those disruptions turn violent is another question, which I have answered above.

What is the time frame on these things?

Fani Willis stated that she would like to see this go to trial in six months. I have heard a commentator saying that is an impossibly short timeframe, that another ongoing RICO case in GA took 18 months to go to trial, nine of those being jury selection. I'm not sure I agree with that commentator, because Willis certainly knows about the other ongoing RICO case, as well as the other RICO cases already tried in GA, and their timeframes. I don't think she would say "six months" if she didn't mean it, and she's fully informed.

We know that Trump's "defense" is to stall, to interfere with proceedings, and to threaten. Judge Tanya Chutkan has already set a standard for her court's response to that kind of behavior: an increase in the urgency for a speedy trial. I'm still waiting for her court's response to Trump's bleatings over the past weekend, after she made that speedy trial consequence clear.

Judges tend to work on a scale of increasing penalties for violating their orders in regard to an existing case. Whether she follows that course, and how aggressively, is yet to be seen, but there's plenty of indication that she will make appropriately measured statements, orders, and consequences.

Being a president in prison is like being in jail in Monopoly once the board is fully owned.