Donald Trump is following a well-worn path from White House to courthouse, with several members of his inner circle having already faced civil and criminal charges. But the former president will be unable to give himself a pardon, as he did with former colleagues.
Steve Bannon
One of the early masterminds of the Trump operation as chief executive of his 2016 campaign and then chief strategist in the White House, the former Breitbart editor was credited with forging connections with the alt-right grassroots.
But the strategist fell from grace after being cut loose from the Trump administration. In 2020, he was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering related to a fundraising campaign for a wall on the Mexico border.
President Trump gave his old ally a pardon as one of his final acts before leaving office. But Bannon found himself in hot water again for refusing to cooperate with a Congressional investigation into the Capitol Hill riots of 6 January, 2021, and received a four-month prison sentence. He is appealing the verdict.
Rudy Giuliani
The former mayor of New York has been reduced to selling personalised video messages – often ordered by political enemies – after the fallout from his ill-fated campaign to overturn the 2020 election results.
Mr Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor”, was disbarred from the legal profession in the state of New York for “demonstrably false and misleading” statements during the campaign and a court has recommended the same apply in Washington DC.
The 78-year-old is also being pursued for ruinous damages by voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic for defamation over claims they were part of a plot to rig the 2020 election, as are Fox News and fellow Trump lawyer Sidney Powell.
Michael Flynn
A staunch Trump ally and National Security Advisor in his administration, the former US Army Lieutenant-General became a primary target of the Robert Mueller investigation and the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into links between Russia and the Trump operation.
While General Flynn was investigated over a suspected kidnapping in his capacity as a registered foreign agent for Turkey, he eventually agreed to a plea bargain in which he admitted lying to the FBI.
But after sentencing was delayed, General Flynn received a pardon from President Trump in 2020, having strongly supported his former employer’s claims of election interference. He is now suing the US government for $50m (£40m) for wrongful prosecution.
Michael Cohen
Mr Trump’s lawyer, fixer, and confidante of more than a decade has turned state witness over a “hush money” payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels that he admitted to facilitating, allegedly on behalf of his old boss.
The New Yorker has said he is motivated by a desire to see Mr Trump held accountable, having faced accountability himself. Mr Cohen served most of a three-year sentence – a mix of prison time and home confinement – after pleading guilty to a litany of charges including tax evasion and campaign finance violations.
Mike Lindell
The CEO of MyPillow became a prominent member of the Trumpworld cast after the 2020 election, campaigning to overturn the results through fundraising, media appearances, and a high-profile bus tour.
Mr Lindell has also incurred the wrath of Dominion and Smartmatic and is facing defamation charges over claims regarding their machines. The businessman reported that the FBI seized his phone at a restaurant last September as part of an investigation into the Capitol Hill riots.
