For the first time in US history, a former president becomes a defendant in a criminal case. A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump for alleged financial fraud at the Trump Organization.
Prior to that, the jury listened to the witness’ testimony for half an hour. CNN states that grand jury meetings are held behind closed doors, so the identity of this person has not been revealed.
According to the New York Times, it is not yet known what charges will be brought against Trump. It is clear that the charges alone contain more than 30 articles and will be read on April 4. Prosecutors have already asked Trump to appear in court to file a lawsuit.
The former president is expected to be asked to voluntarily surrender to the authorities. Fingerprints will need to be taken and photographed from the profile and full-face.
Earlier, The Guardian reported that Trump wanted to appear in the courtroom handcuffed. According to the politician, he wants to “turn the trial into a demonstration” in this way.
Case
The criminal case is linked to possible forgery of financial documents of the Trump Organization in the payment of pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
According to investigators, Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid him $130,000 (he himself denies having an affair with a woman) in 2006 to keep quiet during the 2016 election campaign about his affair with Donald Trump. After that, the attorney’s expenses were covered by the Trump Organization, which, according to law enforcement, needed fraud.
As a rule, forgery of commercial documents does not require jail time, as it is not a serious crime under US law. But if it is proven that the purpose of the fraud was to cover up or commit another crime, Trump could face up to four years in prison.
Writing on CNN, Michael Cohen himself confessed in another episode. For $150,000, he asked the publisher of the National Enquirer, Karen McDougal, not to disclose information about his 10-month love affair with Trump. Trump also denies this connection.
According to the author of the Kommersant publication, many consider this case one of the most difficult and confusing for the prosecution, so they do not ignore the fact that it is of a personal nature. Lawyer Alvin Bragg (Democrat) has made the fight against Trump (Republican) one of his campaign promises. Representatives of his rival, Tali Farhadian Weinstein (Democrat), accused Bragg of using the former president’s name “for political advantage at every opportunity”.
Trump and his supporters
Donald Trump initially described the allegations as legally invalid and politically motivated. “This is the highest level of political persecution and election interference in history,” he said in response to the grand jury’s decision to indict him.
He also described the United States as a “third world country in serious decline” and the jury’s decision an “ongoing attack on once free and fair elections”.
“These thugs and radical left monsters have filed charges against the 45th President of the United States and the current leading contender for the Republican Party presidential nomination in the 2024 election. This is an unprecedented attack on our country,” he wrote.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy (Republican and longtime ally of Trump) is confident that the accusations are an attempt to interfere with the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.
»[Прокурор округа Нью-Йорк] “Alvin Bragg has done irreparable harm to our country by trying to interfere in our presidential election.”
According to him, Bragg “regularly releases dangerous criminals to terrorize the public” and also uses the justice system against Trump.
“Americans will not tolerate such injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Elvin Bragg accountable for his unprecedented misconduct,” McCarthy said.
Citing sources close to the meeting, the New York Times reported that the atmosphere in the prosecution for the past two weeks has been “like a circus”: protesting, protesting against the ex-president’s indictment. But lately it’s gotten pretty deserted.
Amid the upcoming indictment, Trump is seeking the support of GOP lawmakers, CNN reported, citing a source.
According to the channel, the politician “searched for key allies on Capitol Hill to garner support amid the indictments.”
This includes Republican lawmakers who represent the party on committees investigating the activities of the New York County Attorney’s Office investigating the former president.
When Trump tried to annul the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in January 2021 and urged his supporters to support him, a rally began in the US Capitol that escalated into a gunfight. Trump associates bypassed security and occupied parts of the building for several hours.
Trump, Daniels, and the Americans’ reaction
Donald Trump said he would “not consider withdrawing” from the 2024 race if he was charged. He told his fans he would appeal the accusations.
Clark Brewster, attorney for Stormy Daniels, also commented on Trump’s indictment.
“Donald Trump’s accusation is no cause for rejoicing. The hard work and conscientiousness of the jury deserve respect. May truth and justice prevail. No one is above the law,” he tweeted.
It was Brewster who told Stormy Daniels that Trump was blamed. “He wasn’t surprised, as I’ve been thinking for the last three or four weeks that the indictment will be returned,” Brewster said.
He expressed the view that his client was “relaxed”. According to the lawyer, “he already answered the questions [прокурора] and agreed to act as a witness if necessary.”
In 2018, she wrote an intimate book detailing the alleged romance. His lawyers later revealed that the book was written to prove his story of his relationship with the president.
According to a Quinnipiac University Poll, 57% of Americans polled believe that Donald Trump won’t be in the 2024 race if he’s blamed. 38% of the participants do not agree with this view. At the same time, 62% of Americans believe the lawsuit itself is “politically motivated.”