JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A lot of people are talking about what President Donald Trump has to lose if he’s impeached just days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
In fact, there’s a tweet that has gone viral. Here’s what it says:
“For those wondering if it’s worth impeaching him this time, it means he:
1) loses his 200k+ plus pension for the rest of his life
2) loses his 1 million dollar/year travel allowance
3) loses lifetime full secret service detail
4) loses his ability to run in 2024″
If you look at the Former Presidents Act, you’ll find that’s not exactly true. It outlines what benefits a former president is entitled to. Rod Sullivan, a constitutional legal expert, explains Trump would have to be impeached and convicted by the Senate to lose his benefits.
“First of all, there’s an authorization for the benefits that he would lose if he was convicted under Article 2 of the Constitution and removed from office,” Sullivan said. “However, if he lost his ability to run for reelection because of the Amendment 14 faction, that would not necessarily do anything with regard to his benefits.”
There’s one other thing to consider, according to Sullivan.
“That is these authorizations for benefits require an appropriation,” Sullivan said. “So there’s nothing that really says that Congress needs to appropriate funds for the president every year or when he leaves office.”
The Former Presidents Act basically defines “former presidents” as anyone whose term in office is ended by some means other than being impeached and removed. So, if Trump’s term ends on Jan. 20 at noon, he gets the benefits. If he resigns, he gets the benefits.
So when you hear what Trump stands to keep and stands to lose as far as benefits, it comes down to whether he is impeached and convicted -- convicted being the key.
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