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Donald Trump said on Friday that he would run for president from prison in 2024 if he is convicted on any of the number of criminal charges he faces.
The former president and current Republican frontrunner made the comments during a radio interview with conservative host John Fredericks. During the exchange, Mr Trump denied new charges brought against him by federal prosecutors claiming that he instructed employees at his Mar-a-Lago resort to destroy security recordings.
"These were security tapes. We handed them over to them. ... I'm not even sure what they're saying," Mr Trump insisted.
The three new indictments were brought by US Special Counsel Jack Smith on Thursday. That brings the former president's number of charges up to 40. The special counsel also named a Mar-a-Lago worker, Carlos De Oliveira, with conspiracy to obstruct justice by helping Mr Trump conceal documents.
Mr De Oliveira, 56, reportedly told another worker at the club that "the boss" requested for him to destroy security videos after they were subpoenaed by the Department of Justice.
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The maintenance worker was also charged with lying to the FBI when he told agents during a voluntary interview that he did not move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago.
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"They went after two fine employees yesterday, fine people," Mr Trump said. "They're trying to intimidate people so that people go out and make up lies about me. Because I did nothing wrong."
Fredericks then asked Mr Trump if the charges did stick, whether or not a conviction would stall his presidential campaign.
"So let me ask you this. If going forward, right? You get these indictments, there ends up you got a jury in DC, you get convicted and sentenced. Does that stop your campaign for president if you’re sentenced?" Fredericks asked.
Mr Trump assured him that he would continue to run, even while incarcerated.
"No, not at all. There’s nothing in the Constitution to say that it could, and not at all. And even the radical left crazies are saying, no, that wouldn’t stop," Mr Trump said.
And he's right; there's nothing saying he can't run.
Eugene Mazo, a law professor at Seton Hall, told Politico that Mr Trump could lose his mind and still legally run for president.
“There’s nothing barring Trump from running. Even a federal conviction doesn’t prevent that. … Even if he were mentally insane,” Mr Mazo said. “The Supreme Court has said what’s in the Constitution are the only requirements you need to run for federal office.”
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Mr Trump has made it clear he understands that, and that he'll still seek the nomination even if he's in an orange jumpsuit.
"And [a conviction] wouldn’t stop me either," Mr Trump said. "These people are sick. What they’re doing is absolutely horrible."
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1/ 1Trump says he’ll run for president from jail if convicted
Trump says he’ll run for president from jail if convicted
Former US President Donald Trump said he would still run for president from prison if he is convicted on criminal charges
AFP via Getty Images
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