4 investigations former US President Donald Trump faces

The raid on former President Donald Trump's mansion on August 8 has drawn attention to the investigations surrounding him, with prosecutors and lawmakers looking into a range of questions, from his role in the Capitol riots to the business dealings of his family company.

Capitol Hill Riots

The US House of Representatives' 6/1 Riot Investigation Committee recently held a series of hearings and outlined a possible roadmap for prosecuting former President Trump.

The lawmakers who chaired the hearings said that Mr. Trump was aware that he had lost the 2020 presidential election, but still made allegations of election fraud, leading to the rally of his supporters in the capital Washington and the subsequent riot.

Former President Trump in New York on August 10. Photo:AFP.

Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, attacking police and interrupting the electoral vote count to confirm Biden's election. Five people were killed, including one police officer and four protesters, and about 140 police officers were injured. The US Department of Justice has indicted more than 700 people in connection with the attack.

The House investigation is unrelated to the Justice Department. Attorney General Merrick Garland has not said whether prosecutors under his authority are investigating Mr. Trump.

Find votes

Former President Trump also faces an investigation into whether he pressured election officials in Georgia to “find” the votes he needed to win. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has convened a special grand jury (a group of people who hear prosecutors’ allegations and decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute a criminal case) and investigators have questioned dozens of witnesses.

Georgia officials are focusing on recordings of Mr. Trump’s calls with state election officials, as well as the former U.S. president’s alleged public and private pressure on Georgia agencies and officials, including the state governor, attorney general, and the chief investigator under the secretary of state (the official in charge of overseeing elections).

During a rally in Texas in January, Mr. Trump accused Georgia officials of “prosecutorial misconduct.” The former president also called for protests against “racist, evil prosecutors,” prompting the Willis County prosecutor to ask the FBI for more protection.

Trump Organization Operations

New York state officials are investigating the Trump Organization's activities, including allegations that the business misled lenders and tax authorities about the value of real estate it owned.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance opened a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump overvalued certain assets to secure loans, then undervalued them to reduce taxes. In March, Vance’s successor, Alvin Bragg, decided not to pursue charges against Mr. Trump.

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James is also pushing for a civil investigation into the Trump family's business practices in property valuation and tax reporting. Ms. James said that the billionaire's apartment at Trump Tower was once declared to be three times larger than its actual size, increasing its value by about $200 million. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump's family accused the investigation effort of being a "politically motivated witch hunt" because the New York Attorney General is a member of the Democratic Party.

Civil investigations have more limitations on information gathering than criminal investigations, but the standard for finding a person investigated guilty is lower than in criminal investigations. Criminal sentences can include prison sentences, probation, and the dissolution of a company. Meanwhile, in civil cases, punishment can include fines or being banned from certain activities in the future.

Mr. Trump appeared at the New York Attorney General's Office on August 11 under a court order. However, he refused to answer questions, citing the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution. This amendment stipulates that a subpoenaed person can refuse to answer questions that could be used to incriminate them.

US Secret Service agents stand guard at the entrance to Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida on August 8. Photo:Reuters.

Handling confidential documents

FBI agents on August 8 searched the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where Mr. Trump lives, an activity believed to be related to the former US President's illegal possession of classified documents after leaving the White House. US Justice Department officials refused to provide a reason for the unprecedented move against a former president.

The National Archives said in February it had recovered 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago and asked the Justice Department to review Trump's handling of classified information. The recovery of the documents raises questions about whether Trump complied with the Presidential Documents Act (PRA). The FBI reportedly removed 10 boxes of papers from Mar-a-Lago after the raid.

The PRA, enacted in 1978 after the Watergate scandal, requires that White House documents be preserved as US government property. The act requires that documents such as emails, text messages, and phone logs be stored in the national archives. However, in US history, no former president has been punished for violating the PRA, and the law does not provide specific enforcement sanctions.

Mr Trump criticized the raid as "inappropriate, unnecessary". "This was a procedural misconduct, a weaponization of the justice system, and an attack by far-left Democrats to prevent me from running for president in 2024," the former US President said. He also expressed suspicion that the FBI "planted evidence" to frame him.