An investigation into a hush money payment scam resulted in the indictment of Donald Trump. Here is what we do know.
The nation has entered unknown political, legal, and historical seas as a result of the former president Donald Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury. A number of uncertainties have been raised over the course of the criminal case.
As of the 2016 presidential election, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has been looking into Trump’s alleged involvement in a cover-up and hush money payment scheme involving adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Though the under seal indictment has not yet been made public, Trump and his friends have already attacked Bragg and the grand jury’s verdict, calling it “political persecution and election interference at the greatest level in history.”
What is known about Trump’s indictment as of now is listed below.
Why is a person being indicted?
According to CNN, the accusation against Trump includes more than 30 counts of corporate fraud. The seal is still on it.
Although the schedule of the appearance is uncertain, the former president is anticipated to be charged in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is looking into a $130,000 payment that Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in late October 2016, just days before the 2016 presidential election, to prevent her from speaking out about an alleged affair with Trump from ten years earlier. The investigation got started when Trump was still in the White House. Infidelity has been refuted by Trump.
What possible charges could be in effect?
The payment to Daniels and Cohen’s reimbursable expenses from the Trump Organization have been a focus of the investigation.
Trump Org. is mentioned in court documents at the time Cohen was charged with federal crimes. Executives approved payments to him for a total of $420,000 to fulfill his first $130,000 payout, his tax obligations, and to reward him with a bonus.
As a legal expense, the company recorded the reimbursements in its internal accounts. The money was not known to Trump, he has said. It is not prohibited to pay someone privately. Prosecutors were considering whether to accuse Trump of misrepresenting the Trump Organization’s financial records about how they represented the repayment of the payment to Cohen, who claimed he advanced the funds to Daniels, prior to the indictment. It is a misdemeanor in New York to fabricate business records.
The question of whether to charge Trump with first-degree falsifying business records—which is defined as falsifying a record with the intent to commit a crime, assist in the commission of a crime, or conceal the commission of a crime—was also being debated by prosecutors. In this case, the crime in question might be a violation of campaign finance laws.
A minimum term of one year and a maximum of four years may be imposed for committing this Class E felony. Prosecutors would need to demonstrate that Trump meant to commit a crime in order to prove their case.
Donald J. Trump is being opposed by the residents of New York State.
A ruling approving Bragg’s motion to make the sealed grand jury indictment public was approved on Thursday by the judge presiding over the case against Trump.
The case name is The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, and it is located at the top of the order.
The revelation would be “in the public interest and a reasonable exercise of this Court’s discretion,” according to Judge Juan Merchan’s order, which is contained in the document.
Trump’s response was?
One individual who spoke with Trump personally claims that the grand jury’s decision to indict him caught him off guard. Last week, the former president was preparing for an indictment, but he started to believe press rumors that one would come in a few weeks or longer.
After learning of the indictment, the former president proceeded to criticize Bragg and other Democrats while vehemently denying any culpability in the situation.
The former president declared in a statement on Thursday that he thought Joe Biden’s “witches-hunt” will backfire severely. “The American people are fully aware of what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. That is visible to all. Then, after defeating Joe Biden, we will defeat Alvin Bragg. Finally, we will remove every single one of these Corrupt Democrats from office in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! ”
What will Trump do next?
The former president was first asked to turn himself up on Friday in New York, according to his lawyer, but his defense said more time was required and he is now scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
When the former president first appears in court, it will resemble that of any other defendant in certain aspects but differ greatly in others.
Initial sessions are frequently open to the public. A voluntary surrender to law enforcement is arranged for if an arrest of the suspect is not required. Defendants are often booked and fingerprinted at their initial court appearance. A plea will also likely be entered if a first appearance doubles as an arraignment.
When charges are filed against him, Trump will have to go through the same procedures that any other defendant must. Yet, Trump’s situation as a former president who is now seeking reelection will surely raise more practical and security questions about what should happen next in his case.
Is the present circumstance unusual?
Yes. An incumbent president or a former president is being prosecuted for the first time in American history.
It is historic only based on that. But, Trump is only a few months into his third campaign for the White House, and his criminal prosecution jolts the 2024 election into a new stage because the former president has promised to continue running despite the allegations.
What political ramifications does this have for him?
One of the many important questions raised here is that. So far, a number of Republican members of Congress have come to Trump’s aid, criticizing Bragg on Twitter and charging the district attorney with conducting a political witch hunt.
One of the Republican committee chairs who had pushed for Bragg to come before Congress over the Trump investigation, Ohio’s Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called it “outrageous” in a tweet.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz referred to the indictment as “totally unprecedented” and described it as “a disastrous escalation in the weaponization of the legal system.”
In addition, according to sources close to Trump, as part of their response to the indictment, Trump and his staff will launch surrogates to attack Democrats, the probe, and Bragg across a variety of media outlets in an effort to control the public narrative.
Despite being charged, can Trump still run for president?
Yes.
