House Democrats Plan To Move Forward Legislation To Strip Trump Of Protection

House Democrats unveiled legislation Wednesday that would strip Secret Service protection from convicted felons who are sentenced to prison. Many have speculated that this is directed at former President Trump who remains on trial in New York City over hush money payments during the 2016 election campaign and several other cases.

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-S), the former chair of the now-disbanded January 6 congressional committee, has introduced a bill to automatically pull Secret Service protection from someone convicted of breaking federal or state felony laws punishable by more than one year in prison.

The legislation is boldly titled the “Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated Toward (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act.”

Thompson in a statement said: “Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protected – even a former President.”

A “fact sheet” accompanying Thompson’s statement also says Trump faces an “unprecedented 91 felony charges in federal and state courts,” which, it says, have created a new urgency that congress must clear up regarding Secret Service protection interfering with the criminal judicial process and administration of justice.

The one-page document also states the bill would apply to former President Trump if convicted of a felony, as well Secret Service protectees who are convicted and sentenced under all felony charges.

It underscores the obvious point that federal law does not take into account how Secret Service protection would be provided to a protectee who is incarcerated, creating thorny logistical headaches for both the Secret Service and prison officials.

According to Thompson, their proposed bill would prevent this kind of trouble should former President Trump be ordered behind bars.

“Therefore, it is necessary for us to be prepared and update the law so the American people can be assured that protective status does not translate into special treatment – and that those who are sentenced to prison will indeed serve the time required of them,” Thompson said.

The bill also includes language to counter assertions that any future conviction of Trump would likely not include a prison sentence, but rather some form of home confinement due to his Secret Service protection.

The bill aims to eliminate the potential for conflicting lines of authority within prisons and would allow judges to more easily consider sentencing without worrying about logistical considerations in dealing with convicts under Secret Service protection, according to a document on it.

The Secret Service protects the current president and family members, former presidents, visiting foreign dignitaries and other high-ranking officials. After the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, protection was extended to major party presidential nominees but his son is not being provided Secret Service for his independent run in 2024.

Trump is also charged in Georgia with attempting to manipulate the 2020 election and a civil lawsuit against racketeering. He is also set to be tried in Florida on charges he hoarded classified White House documents and then in Washington, D.C., where prosecutors say he conspired to attempt to overturn his loss. He has entered not guilty pleas in all cases.