Plea deal could be the key to keeping Trump out of prison and the White House: columnist

Donald Trump is cruising toward the Republican presidential nomination – and possibly a second term in the White House – despite multiple indictments, but prosecutors may have a way to keep him from power.

The former president has already been indicted in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case and appears likely to face charges in the Jan. 6 investigation, in addition to state charges in New York and possibly in Georgia, but The Bulwark columnist Jill Lawrence joined a growing list of political and legal experts calling for a universal plea agreement.

"For Trump, who fancies himself a master dealmaker, a particular deal comes to mind: allowing him to avoid prison if he agrees to drop out of the presidential race (or resign the presidency, if it came to that) and never run for public office again. Ever," Lawrence wrote.

That would require cooperation among multiple prosecutors and judges to work, which is a heavy lift, and then Trump would be required to admit guilt and accept personal responsible in each case, and then withdraw from his campaign and agree never to pursue another public office again.

Of course, Trump has been known to say anything to get out of trouble and could then backtrack and attack prosecutors and the legal system, but a binding agreement to keep him out of jail and public office might be necessary.

A universal plea deal may seem like the most complicated and unlikely path to preventing a second Trump presidency, but not when compared with the other choices available," Lawrence wrote. "The Constitution has only three requirements for a president: You have to be at least 35 years old, born in the United States, and a U.S. resident for at least 14 years. It would be nice if the Founders had added 'and not be a convicted felon,' but they did not."