Donald Trump could seek refuge in Russia if he faces potential criminal investigations in the US after the Republican Party's devastating defeat in the midterm elections, an international law expert has claimed.
The Democrats have seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in a result that has been described as a "blue tsunami" or a "Bluenami," as numerous historically red states turned blue in a historic political shift.
Investigations and a warning to 'lawyer up'
Democratic congressman Robert Garcia has warned Trump that he could face numerous investigations by the Oversight Committee and has told the president to "lawyer up."
Speaking on All Rise News, Jamie Rowen, an international law expert and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said Trump and his inner circle could even be drawing up contingency plans to dodge potential prosecution.
Bolsonaro comparison
Rowen suggested a Trump getaway strategy could resemble that of Flavio Bolsonaro, who escaped Brazil for the US after being defeated in the election by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last month. Following his departure to the US, Bolsonaro posted on social media, claiming without providing proof that he had been a victim of "electoral fraud."
Bolsonaro also described himself as "leader of Brazil," reports the Express. He departed Brazil without handing over his passports to authorities, violating a Supreme Court directive issued as part of a probe into suspected money laundering.
Potential escape to Russia
Speaking to journalist Adam Klasfeld of All Rise News, Rowen said: "You can imagine that if he [Donald Trump] loses an election that he thinks was rigged, even if it very clearly wasn't, and he loses by a sizeable margin...that he too might face some type of criminal investigation for all of the crimes that he is currently committing."
One option for Trump's getaway would be to flee to Russia, Rowen suggested. She added he "will have colluded with, say, Putin to figure out a way to escape to that country."
She said: "That's all I can keep thinking. They are laying a plan for all of them, no matter what the consequences in their countries are, to flee to other dictatorships that support them."
The international law specialist also branded Bolsonaro's behaviour "shameful" and pointed to reports that Brazilian and Argentine border officials had no documentation of him passing between the two nations, claiming they must have been bribed.
Trump could now face Democrat-led corruption investigations into himself, his allies and family. These probes could lead to Trump being impeached for a third time. Democratic congressman Robert Garcia is set to lead some of these probes as the chair of the Oversight Committee.
