The Secret Service is required to provide lifetime protection for all presidents and former presidents of the United States. However, it is unclear what those protections would look like if a president were sentenced to serve time in prison.
This previously hypothetical scenario is now a potential outcome for former President Donald Trump. While there are currently no clear answers currently on what would happen, a new bill is looking to change that uncertainty.
The act is called the “Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable Former Protectees Act” — the DISGRACED Act for short — and was introduced by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the former chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee.
The DISGRACED Act would automatically strip Secret Service protections from anyone who was convicted of a federal or state felony carrying at least a one-year prison sentence.
Trump is not named directly in the legislation, however, the stipulations would apply to the former president.
Reactions from Republican lawmakers and legal analysts are making headlines and implying Democrats are trying to use this bill to kill Trump.
“Democrats Want Donald Trump ‘Killed,’ Legal Analyst Warns,” one Newsweek headline reads.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene Suggests Dems Plan to Have Trump ‘Murdered’ in Jail,” another Newsweek headline said.
A headline from Raw Story said, “‘They want him killed’: Alan Dershowitz says Trump would be murdered in prison.”
Despite the criticism coming from people close to Trump, Thompson and other Democrats stand by the bill, saying something needs to be on the books to ensure there’s not “preferential treatment” if Trump is found guilty and becomes a convicted felon.
“It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality,” Thompson said. “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.”
The DISGRACED Act is unlikely going to be the deciding factor in Trump’s future, as it was introduced in the Republican-controlled House. However, the debate over the bill raises the question: Is the Secret Service a lifetime protection or is it a privilege that can be revoked?
