Former U.S. presidents are authorized a security detail from the Secret Service for life. If Trump loses the election and flees the country, does his security detail have to go with him if he requests it?
I imagine this could go down in a variety of ways: He departs the U.S. before he’s sentenced and just never returns, or he attempts to flees or does flees the U.S. after his sentencing. Either way, what happens to his security detail?
If he attempts to flees after he’s sentenced, I would hope the detail would refuse to take part in it (if he can even board a plane/leave the country to begin with), but given all their failings, who knows.
AFAIK ex-presidents aren’t allowed to leave the country without specific permission, due to all the classified crap in their heads. If one tried to flee the country, it would be their detail’s duty to detain them.
Heck, they’re not even allowed to drive in public roads… not that Trump has probably ever driven a car.
not that Trump has probably ever driven a car
Thanks for the confirmation, robobruddah
You could say the same about running off with boxes of classified docs and keeping them in a bathroom. Reality is they don’t care as long as he’s alive
Security is a privilege, not a mandate. Nixon dropped his in 1985.
Becoming a fugitive from justice would count as voluntarily giving up lots of privileges, the very least of which would be a publicly funded security detail.
The USSS would not have any obligation to a former president that is a fugitive from law.
As individuals they could abandon their service, which has serious legal remifications, and follow Trump of their own choice. I doubt any would do that because why they became USSS and how badly it would ruin their lives.
Maybe Trump could escape the US by hiding in a box disguised as “music equipment” (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57760993). Then the USSS wouldn’t have to accompany him.
He is more of a fan of his wife dying and hiding things in the coffin.
Melania falls down the stairs and he has her casket sent to her homeland of Slovenia or burial, which is quite the convenient place for him to find himself.
Maybe he could ensemble some sympathisers?
So I looked into the USSS, and here from their FAQ: "Under Title 18, Section 3056, of the United States Code, agents and officers of the United States Secret Service can:
Carry firearms
Execute warrants issued under the laws of the United States
Make arrests without warrants for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, or for any felony recognizable under the laws of the United States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed such felony
Offer and pay rewards for services and information leading to the apprehension of persons involved in the violation of the law that the Secret Service is authorized to enforce
Investigate fraud in connection with identification documents, fraudulent commerce, fictitious instruments and foreign securities and
Perform other functions and duties authorized by law"
This leads me to wonder just how many times a SS Agent witnessed Trump committing a felony in their presence but didn’t arrest him.
More to the point, if there is a warrant issued for his arrest, his secret service detail would need to arrest him.
You forgot about the old “What’s that over there?” trick.
🏃♂️👉⁉️
Secret service takes their orders from the current president. So, if the order were given to bring him in they would have too.
Interesting question that hadn’t occurred to me. Great one to bring up as a thought experiment. I agree with a sibling comment that says he likely wouldn’t be covered if convicted, but this is also new (and previously unthinkable) territory.
It isn’t previously unthinkable, they just previously chose not to think about it. Reagan and Nixon are recent criminal presidents that were both spared prosecution and given full honors as former presidents.
Even those of us who wanted Bush Jr to stand trial for war crimes never thought it was possible. This is the first time it’s been a possibility for sure. That’s how far this asshole has run amuck.
