If you haven’t heard, special counsel Jack Smith has officially charged former President Donald Trump in connection with his so-called crimes of the January 6, 2021, Capitol incursion. And as several have pointed out, it could lead to a death sentence for Trump.
And yes, I mean the actual death sentence…
According to the latest round of indictments, Smith and the grand jury have charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of official proceedings, and conspiracy against voters’ rights.
And as Breitbart editor Joel B. Pollak, among others, mentioned in the following days, “It’s not just about ‘jailing’ Biden’s opponent” anymore.
This is because one of the charges against Trump is 18 US Code § 241.
Wading through all the legal jargon, it boils down to saying if “two or more persons” (Trump and other J6 conspirators) conspire to “oppress, threaten, or intimidate” anyone who is expressing their constitutional rights, a fine or jail time of no more than ten years can result.
However, if a death results in that same action, they can be fined, jailed for “any term of years or life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.”
And as you may remember, Ashli Babbitt was killed during the incursion, counting as a death that was a result of what the political left is trying to say was the actions of Trump.
So, if Smith wanted to push for this kind of reading of the law, he could certainly ask for the death penalty.
Then again, seeing as how the 45-page indictment does nothing to connect Trump to the actual act of “insurrection,” it may be hard to argue that he is to blame for Babbitt’s death or anyone else who died in the aftermath of that fateful day.
As constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley told Fox News, the charges against Trump are really all accusing him “of disinformation,” meaning an ask for life in prison or the death penalty may be “a bridge too far” – even for the powers that be who want to see a Trump-free world.
Still, by law, the threat is definitely still there…
