Trump will be prosecuted for falsifying business records — a criminal offense in New York
A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former U.S President Donald Trump over hush money payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Becoming the first president to face criminal charges in U.S. history, his legal team are negotiating a surrender.
“Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s spokesperson said.
Trump himself claimed he would be arrested last Tuesday. Still, the news has sparked outrage among his supporters.
The $130,000 payment to Daniels was intended to silence her over an alleged affair before the 2016 election. While details of the case are sealed, legal experts say it is likely that Trump will be prosecuted for falsifying business records — a criminal offense in New York.
Prosecutors could also consider charges of breaking election laws, as Trump’s attempt to hide the payments is motivated by not letting voters know of his alleged affair ahead of the presidential election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
What happens now? New York officials are bracing for a potentially violent reaction from Trump supporters as reports suggest that he will likely surrender next week. A failure to do so voluntarily would force prosecutors to seek his extradition from Florida — which Governor Ron DeSantis vows not to assist with.
The Secret Service will be responsible for protecting Trump as he enters the court. Like other criminal cases, Trump would potentially have his fingerprints recorded and mugshots taken.
Criminal cases in Manhattan typically take about 900 days or more on average to move a trial from indictment to a trial, meaning that a trial for Trump (although his case is special) could be pushed to after the 2024 election.
As seen in the past, such attempts against politicians over personal/campaign spending have hardly seen any success. But this is one of the numerous legal woes that Trump faces.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable — indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” Donald Trump said after his indictment.
