Officials have had preliminary discussions about how to protect the former president in the unlikely event that he is jailed for contempt during the trial.

The U.S. Secret Service is in the business of protecting the president, whether he’s inside the Oval Office or visiting a foreign war zone.

But protecting a former president in prison? The prospect is unprecedented. That would be the challenge if Donald J. Trump — whom the agency is required by law to protect around the clock — is convicted at his criminal trial in Manhattan and sentenced to serve time.

Even before the trial’s opening statements, the Secret Service was in some measure planning for the extraordinary possibility of a former president behind bars. Prosecutors had asked the judge in the case to remind Mr. Trump that attacks on witnesses and jurors could land him in jail even before a verdict is rendered.

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    • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
      16·
      7 months ago

      Nope.

      Under current United States federal law, all former presidents are entitled to lifetime protection from the Secret Service. Barring an act of Congress or a presidential executive order, the Secret Service is bound by law to protect former presidents for life. There aren’t any exceptions listed in the statute governing the protection of former presidents. Source

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
        9·
        7 months ago

        Barring an act of Congress or a presidential executive order

        Could definitely imagine Congress and/or Biden doing that to make sure that Secret Service agents aren’t sent to prison for crimes they didn’t commit…

        • ours@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          7 months ago

          They wouldn’t be condemned to prison, they would work in a prison. The logistics would have to be worked out but I guess they would work alongside the prison guards and have agents constantly around prisoner Orange. It would suck for them but they would be normal rotations/breaks and such.