Mary Scrantin
Former President Donald Trump may soon face more legal trouble due to a new complaint arising from a significant event during his last year in office.
Currently, Trump is dealing with several legal problems, including four criminal cases. The first one, known as the Manhattan hush money payment case, is scheduled for trial on April 15.
Trump’s Legal Battles: Denials Amidst Appeals
Additionally, he is appealing civil rulings where he was found guilty of actions such as sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, as well as being involved in a business fraud scheme where he exaggerated the value of his assets.
However, Trump has claimed innocence in every single one of these cases.
Trump Claims Accusations Are A Plot To Ruin His Presidency Bid
He’s also said that the accusations leveled against him are a calculated attempt to ruin his 2024 presidential campaign. However, many legal professionals mostly agree that a lot of the evidence against him is solid and damaging.
But that’s not all of it. A recent report from Law & Crime shared that a new complaint will be filed against the former president by April 12.
A Blast From The Past
It’s all tied to this lawsuit from 2020, Buchanan v. Trump, where protestors claimed they got unconstitutional booted out by cops during an incident back in June 2020.
During the mass protests across the country in the summer of 2020 after George Floyd got murdered by a cop named Derek Chauvin, protesters at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., got pushed out by cops using tear gas and batons.
Police Action Reportedly Done To Make Way For Trump
It was done at the order of then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr to make way for Trump to stroll from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a photo shoot holding a Bible.
The case has had lots of ups and downs and has been in court for a long time. Buchanan and another group of people, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in a different lawsuit, Black Lives Matter DC v. Trump, ended up settling with the government after pitched litigation.
Settlement Prompts New Rules For Protesters
The settlement resulted in new rules for protesters, but claims for damages against Trump and other officials remained.
Buchanan’s claims were dismissed due to laws protecting federal officials from lawsuits, and despite appealing, they lost again on similar grounds.
Lafayette Square Wasn’t Cleared For Trump’s Bible Photoshoot
In January 2021, the U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general reported controversially that Lafayette Square wasn’t cleared for Trump’s Bible photo op.
However, he did show up moments after police used devices like tear gas, flash-bangs, grenades, pepper balls, horses, and batons to quickly move protesters out of the area he was going to walk through. But the report also said former U.S. Attorney General William Barr made the clearing happen faster so Trump could go through.
New Complaint Approved By Judge
With their lawsuits seemingly stuck, the Buchanan plaintiffs had one last option: a new complaint approved by a judge. And this is exactly what has quietly happened amid Trump’s other big legal issues in recent weeks and months.
Although the merits of the plaintiff’s new claims are still up in the air, a judge has allowed them to officially notify Trump.
New Information Sparks Life To Old Case
It came after a report in January 2021 from the Interior Department’s inspector general said that Lafayette Square wasn’t cleared properly and that the police didn’t follow the right procedures.
In June, another report from that office said the U.S. Park Police planned to remove the protesters before Trump’s arrival but didn’t mention other agencies involved.
Trump’s Involvement in Lawsuit: Difficult To Distance Himself
Law & Crime says the law firm Gibson Dunn, who’s representing the Buchanan plaintiffs, plans to file the new complaint soon. They’re still figuring out if Trump will stay involved in the case, but Law & Crime writes that it will be “hard to imagine he would be able to divorce himself from it.”
“We anticipate filing our claims against Mr. Trump by April 12, as the Court directed in granting our motion to amend in part,” Lee Crain, a Gibson Dunn partner, said in a statement.
Way Forward For Defendants Uncertain
Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County in Florida, and a legal expert, spoke to Newsweek about the situation on Saturday morning. He said the way forward for the defendants is currently uncertain.
“This has been a long, winding road for plaintiffs, and it’s still not clear whether the plaintiffs will be able to sue Trump individually or whether he will ever have to sit for a deposition in this case,” he said.
Joint Status Report Due On 20th Of April
Per a minute entry on the federal docket in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, a joint status report is due on April 20. This report will help set deadlines for legal motions involving Trump’s lawyers and decide if Trump remains involved in the case.
Though as earlier stated, It’s hard to imagine him stepping away from it. Based on the original claims, the new lawsuit is expected to pursue him personally for the distress he caused and reflect similarly.
Trump Will Likely Have To Testify During Proceedings
Whether he stays on as a named defendant, with his personal presence over Lafayette Square looming so large that June, it will most likely lead to him testifying in court proceedings.
“Our clients look forward to seeing Trump in Court and holding him accountable for his and others’ attacks on the rights of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square,” Lee Crain also said.
Court Case Could Soil Trump’s Plans In Another Trial
Through his attorneys, Trump recently told civil litigant police and U.S. lawmakers suing him over the Jan. 6 violence that facing them in court could reveal his defense strategy for his upcoming election subversion trial against special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump has relied on his claim of presidential immunity to avoid prosecution wherever he’s been indicted, but this defense won’t hold up forever. As of Friday, there’s less than one month left before the Supreme Court meets to hear oral arguments on it.
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