– A new stage in the investigation of Donald Trump – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The FBI searched the Trumps on Tuesday night Huge mansion in Palm Beach Florida, Mar-a-Lago. So far, nothing has been said about why this happened.

Thus, former US President Donald Trump is in the midst of a new storm. Something he’s done many times before.

Trump has already been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits. Clear it shows USA Today He did in 2016.

Among other things, he was accused of sexual assault, defamation and tax fraud.

But this issue stands out, says American expert Sophie Hugestol.

For months, Trump’s role in storming Congress on January 6 last year has been under scrutiny in a series of hearings.

The US Department of Justice is now actively investigating the former president for his role in the break-in.

It seems they already have a lot of evidence. Enough to justify a search of Trump’s property.

Entering a new stage

This is the first time that the home of a former US president has been searched.

– This is different from what we’ve seen before. It is very difficult to get the approval of a judge for this type of research, comments American expert Sofie Høgestøl.

She says the Justice Department’s investigation appears to be in a new phase.

The search requires you to have a valid reason, and therefore some evidence from the police. This shows that we are in a new phase of the investigation, which also includes Trump, Hoogestol explains.

Trump also says the situation is exceptional.

These are tough times for our country when my sweet home in Mar-a-Lago is now surrounded, searched and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Trump wrote in a statement that this has never happened before for the President of the United States.

According to the newspaper The New York Times It is said that FBI agents were looking for boxes of classified documents.

Trump reportedly took these funds to Mar-a-Lago after stepping down as president.

A very long way to go before conviction

Trump has not yet been charged. But if that happens, he could end up behind bars for some time.

experts NEWSWEEK Speaking to him, he says the sentence for the crimes for which Trump can be sued is 20 years. They believe that at least two years in prison would be realistic.

But it is a long process:

Building a criminal case is a bit like climbing a big mountain. Being in the investigation phase and doing research shows that you have come a long way up the mountain. But it is still very far from the top. There is still a long way to go until there is a conviction, says Sofie Høgestøl.

It will be used in the election campaign

This fall it is Midterm elections in the United StatesAnd the entire balance of power in the world’s most powerful country could change.

Sophie Hugestol is not sure how Trump’s legal groom will affect American politics in the near future.

– It’s hard to say. A lot is happening now, from week to week, with both inquiry and scrutiny in the House of Commons.

But it is clear that various investigations will play a role:

– Both sides will use this in the election campaign. Democrats will say you can’t trust a political party led by someone under police investigation. Hugestoll says Republicans will build an image of a Democratic party that abuses the apparatus of government to persecute its political opponents.

Sigrid Gårdsvoll of amerikanspolitikk.no told NTB that the research could further divide US voters.

The danger is that Trump supporters cling to his interpretation of this as an abuse of the state apparatus by Democrats to persecute a political opponent, Gardsfull says.