If Trump Is Impeached and Convicted, He'll Lose His Post-Presidency Perks

[DesertRat]

Excellent reasons to impeach

The 1958 Former Presidents Act assures that no president leaves office without being set for life—it guarantees a pension, access to health insurance, office space and staff, and Secret Service protection for as long as he or she wants it. There is, however, one exception: These perks are only granted to presidents who aren’t removed from office in an impeachment trial.

For Donald Trump, who boasts of being a billionaire (though one who appeared to be headed for financial troubles, even before Wednesday’s insurrection), the pension may not be a big deal. It is lavish, set to be $219,000 this year, but a fraction of what Trump earns from his business. But losing the Secret Service protection might be more painful. No one knows how much is spent on protecting former presidents—the Secret Service budget for that is kept secret—but it’s not a small number.

And not only would Trump have to pay for his own security, he would lose the ability to charge taxpayers when his protective detail stays at his properties around the globe. While in office, Trump has billed taxpayers more than $1.1. million for Secret Service personnel to stay at his properties, including renting the agency a cottage at his Bedminster golf course for $21,000 per month.

On Friday, House Democrats said they were moving quickly towards impeachment. They would need support from a substantial number of Senate Republicans in order to convict Trump; if the president were impeached but acquitted in the Senate, he would still have access to all of the post-presidency benefits. No president has ever been denied these benefits, and a government legal opinion in 1974 found that even Richard Nixon, who resigned but was not removed, was eligible.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/if-trump-is-impeached-and-convicted-hell-lose-his-post-presidency-perks

[msongs]

1. conviction not going to happen nt

[catbyte]

4. I wonder if they could get enough Republicans to "be somewhere else" when the Senate vote

happens. It's 2/3 of Senators present at the vote, not 2/3 of the Senate as a whole.

[BBG]

7. Interesting out, plausible deniability.

Lots of flat tires or something held them up. Or whatever excuse works.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Good. It really rankles me that we are paying for his SS detail and all the other perks.

A man who tried to over throw the US government.

[DesertRat]

12. I don't want one penny of my tax dollars supporting him or his family after 1/20/21

[Irish_Dem]

13. I assume he will still get his pension and all the perks.

I know, really pisses me off.

[Blue Owl]

3. Excellent...

[soothsayer]

5. Hey he's a 'billionaire'

He’ll manage

[world wide wally]

6. On the bright side,

McDonalds has a great dollar menu

[Clearly fogged in]

8. One loss is bigger than the other

The diner didn't close because the burgers were too big. The food poisoning did them in.

[aquamarina]

9. Reason enough for me to pursue

Impeachment and conviction. The thought of his Orange ass getting money from the public purse for the rest of his miserable life makes my blood boil.

[Generic Brad]

10. Say, doesn't Iran still have a bounty on his head?

That’s a nice Secret Service detail he has there. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.

[smirkymonkey]

14. I find your post very uplifting.

Wouldn't that be wonderful? To send him back out on his own w/ no SS protection and a bounty on his head.

They may still end up getting him anyway. Even if he does have SS detail, it will be much smaller and he will be much more vulnerable. They are very, very angry with him after he called for the assasination of Soleimani. He'll practically be a sitting duck.

[MoonlitKnight]

11. Those benefits are legislation not constitutional

Therefore they may be amended to exclude him by a simple amendment to the law passed by both houses and signed by President Biden.