WASHINGTON — Since former President Donald Trump predicted the Manhattan district attorney would indict him earlier this week on charges stemming from hush money payments he allegedly paid a porn star to cover up an affair, the 3D chess players among the Beltway’s punditry have breathlessly debated whether this would hurt or help Trump’s campaign to retake the presidency.
But, as a mere checkers player, Heard on the Hill wondered about something much more basic: Would he be too busy as a criminal defendant to be a presidential candidate?
Criminal charges wouldn’t necessarily sideline Trump in his quest to regain his seat behind the Resolute Desk. While the Constitution provides for the president’s impeachment for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” it doesn’t bar convicts from running, let alone those who are still presumed innocent until proven guilty. (After he was expelled from the House following his conviction on corruption charges, Jim Traficant of Ohio ran for his old seat again from a federal prison and again after his release; he lost both times.)
