Picture the U.S. Capitol under siege on January 6, 2021. The insurrection’s reverberations are still felt today, and there’s a rising wave in the legal community seeking to bar Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential race.
Joining this rising tide is Jason Torchinsky, a top-tier Republican election attorney. Based in Virginia at the Holtzman Vogel law firm, Torchinsky’s been brainstorming with some significant figures. The crew? A medley of ex-Republican lawmakers, election attorneys, and even a retired federal judge deep-diving into Trump’s eligibility.
Now, disqualifying Trump isn’t a fresh topic. Groups have been rallying, citing the 14th Amendment, arguing Trump’s Capitol attack role potentially disqualifies him from public office. But Torchinsky’s entry shifts the narrative. Bennett Gershman, a former New York prosecutor, mentioned to Salon that this might make the move seem “more politically neutral” and not just a Democratic strategy to sideline Trump.
It’s worth noting Torchinsky’s not entirely disconnected from Trump’s GOP adversaries. He’s worked for Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and even the PAC behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, Torchinsky’s research now is for Jacob Harriman from More Perfect Union, a nonpartisan organization.
The legal playbook to challenge Trump is expanding. Voters in Minnesota and Colorado have recently pulled the trigger, using the 14th Amendment card. And this isn’t just a liberal chorus. Legal voices from both ends of the spectrum see potential in this strategy.
Backing this sentiment, conservative law professors William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, both connected to the right-leaning Federalist Society, declared in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review that Trump is ineligible. Their verdict? Trump “cannot be president” unless Congress, by a two-thirds vote, decides to let the January 6 events slide.
Trump’s camp, however, isn’t sitting idly. They’ve countered, declaring such claims as “fraud against the will of the people,” challenging the attempts to block him.
The road to 2024 for Trump looks to be paved with legal landmines. Beyond this eligibility debate, he faces accusations ranging from election interference to Stormy Daniels hush money. Gershman points out the mounting challenges, linking them to the convictions from the January 6 chaos.
Whatever the outcome, it’s evident that the legal storm brewing around Trump’s 2024 ambitions is bigger, bolder, and more bipartisan than ever before.
