The last time anything remotely similar happened was 150 years ago. It involved a speeding horse and buggy, the thunder of hooves near the White House and a repeat offender who happened to be the
Grant and several of his friends, with whom he had apparently been racing, were taken to a police station. They all had to put up US$20 in bail — what was described in the news account as “collateral” — a sum that would be equivalent today to about US$500 ($790).
The president, who had “the look of a schoolboy who had been caught in a guilty act by his teacher,” was good-natured about the arrest, according to the news account. He even drove West in his carriage to the police station, where his arrest was processed.
On the way, the police officer and the president talked about the officer’s experience during the Civil War. The former general “told him that he would not get into any trouble for making the arrest, as he admired a man who did his duty,” according to the 1908 news report.
Since then, the closest thing to a presidential arrest came when Nixon, faced with criminal prosecution, resigned and was issued an unconditional pardon by his successor, President Gerald Ford, in 1974. In a 10-minute address announcing the pardon, Ford explained that a lengthy trial would polarise the American people and damage the government’s credibility at home and abroad. It was later disclosed that he chose to deliver the pardon on a Sunday to convey mercy over justice.
![Former President Donald Trump being escorted to a courtroom. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/73H43G537BHGHHVGDIRHMMHSFI.jpg?auth=922e101dd433cd566713d51b7ad55d8961e76fe31a270820fdcaa2cb50a04eb2&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Just 11 months earlier, Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, had pleaded no contest to a single charge of income tax evasion and resigned. The chief prosecutor said at the time that there was fear Agnew might become president. A no-contest plea avoided prolonged litigation and allowed Agnew to avoid federal charges for a kickback scheme.
One of the nation’s first vice presidents also faced legal challenges. After leaving office, Aaron Burr was put on trial for treason in 1807 and was ultimately acquitted for lack of evidence.
In recent years, presidential candidates have come under varying degrees of scrutiny for possible crimes. Following his unsuccessful bids for the presidency and vice presidency, the Justice Department charged John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, with campaign finance fraud in his own hush money scandal.
In 2014, a state grand jury indicted Rick Perry, then the governor of Texas, charging that he abused his power when he threatened to cut off state funding to a Democratic district attorney. With the indictment still hanging over his head, he announced his candidacy for the presidency in June 2015. He dropped out of the race three months later and the indictments were ultimately dismissed.
The case against Grant and the other men was heard in Police Court the day after his arrest, according to the news account. The judge levied heavy fines against the president’s friends, although they protested mightily, criticizing West’s conduct.
“When Gen. Grant’s name was called there was no response,” according to the account, “and his $20 was forfeited.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: William K. Rashbaum and Kate Christobek
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