According to two persons familiar with the situation, Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts of corporate fraud. This is the first time in American history that a sitting or past president has been charged with a crime.
On Tuesday, Trump is anticipated to show up in court.
The indictment was submitted under seal and will be made public soon. At this moment, the charges are not well recognized.
The former president is being looked into by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office about his alleged involvement in a cover-up and hush money payment plot involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that stretches back to the 2016 presidential election. Grand jury hearings are confidential, but a source with knowledge of Two people with knowledge of the case claim that a Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald Trump on more than 30 counts of corporate fraud. It is the first time in American history that a president, whether current or former, has been accused of a crime.
Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
The indictment was filed under seal and will shortly be made available to the public. The charges are not clearly understood at this time.
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is investigating the former president in connection with his alleged involvement in a cover-up and hush money payment conspiracy involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates back to the 2016 election. Grand jury proceedings are private, but a source familiar with the case told C
With the decision, the American political system—which has never seen one of its former leaders face criminal charges, much less compete for office again—will undoubtedly be thrust into unknown territory.
In a statement following the indictment, Trump said that it represented "political persecution and election interference at the greatest level ever."
The former president declared, "I think this Witch-Hunt will backfire spectacularly on Joe Biden. The American public is fully aware of what the Radical Left Democrats are up to. Everyone is aware of it. Thus, our Movement and Party will defeat Alvin Bragg first, then Joe Biden, and we will remove every single one of these Crooked Democrats from office to "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
According to someone who spoke with Trump personally, the grand jury's decision to indict him caught him off guard. The former president started to believe press reports that a possible indictment was weeks - or more - away when he was ready for an indictment last week.
Today, is this a shock? Under the condition of anonymity, as Trump's staff considered its response, the individual said, "Hell yes.
The office of Bragg claimed to be in contact with Trump's attorneys.
The Manhattan district attorney's office said in a statement on Thursday that it had "contacted Mr Trump's attorney this evening to schedule his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under secrecy." The date of the arraignment will be announced with guidance.
The day after a Manhattan grand jury decided to prosecute Trump, according to Joe Tacopina, the defence attorney for Trump, the former president was first ordered to turn himself into police in New York on Friday.
However, Tacopina claimed that the timing of the indictment caught him off guard and that extra time was required since the Secret Service, which is in charge of protecting the former president, had to plan his surrender in New York.
Trump has vowed to continue campaigning for president even in the face of criminal charges, so the legal action against him jolts the 2024 campaign into a new phase.
Trump routinely refers to the several investigations into him as a "witch hunt," hoping to influence public opinion by portraying himself as the victim of what he claims are political investigations conducted by Democratic prosecutors. Trump called on his fans to protest his arrest as the indictment apparently got closer, mirroring similar calls to action he made after the 2020 election to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden.
In all facets of his life—personal, professional, and political—Trump has long dodged legal repercussions. Through the years, he has paid his way out of legal battles involving the Trump Organization, which bears his name, as well as several private civil litigation. He was twice removed from office as president by the Democratic-controlled House, but the Senate did not convict him.
Even though Trump was not indicted in that case, the Trump Organization was found guilty of multiple counts of tax fraud in December.
Republicans who support Trump and his challengers in the GOP primary for 2024 have criticized the Manhattan district attorney's office over the impending prosecution.
In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday night, former Vice President Mike Pence said, "I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance problem is an atrocity. Millions of Americans believe that the case is nothing more than a political witch hunt, spearheaded by a prosecutor who essentially ran for office on a promise to indict the former president.
GOP backs Trump in his defence
Republican lawmakers promptly defended Trump after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised to look into the situation, blasting Bragg on Twitter and charging the district attorney with conducting a political witch hunt.
Jim Jordan of the House Judiciary Committee, a Republican pushing for Bragg to testify before Congress over the Trump investigation, called it "outrageous" in a tweet.
The indictment was dubbed "totally unprecedented" by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who also called it "a disastrous escalation in the weaponization of the justice system."
However, one moderate Republican admitted to CNN that he had faith in the legal system.
"I support the legal system. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska remarked, "I think we have checks and balances, and I trust the system.
"A judge is present. There are jurors. One may appeal. So I believe that justice will be served in the end. He will be found guilty if he is. Bacon told CNN that if not, "I think that will be proven too.
A scandal: Regarding Trump's indictment, Pence Under Cy Vance, an inquiry was launched.
As recently as early March, Bragg's office had indicated that they were close to filing charges after they asked the former president to testify before the grand jury looking into the hush money scandal, and they turned anti-Trump. According to New York law, prospective defendants must get notice and an invitation to appear before a grand jury considering charges. But in the end, Trump opted not to address the panel.
When Trump was in office, Cy Vance, Bragg's predecessor, launched the lengthy inquiry. It has to do with a $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump's then-personal attorney Michael Cohen in late October 2016, just days before the 2016 election, to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with the president from a decade prior. Trump has refuted the relationship.
the investigation started under Vance, Cy
Trump was invited to appear before the grand jury looking into the hush money plot, and Bragg's office hinted as recently as early March that they were near to filing charges against him. According to New York law, prospective defendants must get notice and an invitation to appear before a grand jury considering charges. But in the end, Trump opted not to address the panel.
When Trump was president, Cy Vance, Bragg's predecessor, launched the protracted probe. It has to do with a $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump's then-personal attorney Michael Cohen in late October 2016, just days before the 2016 election, to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with the president from a decade prior. Trump has refuted the relationship. The probe centres on the payment made to Daniels and Cohen's reimbursement from the Trump Organization.
The Trump Organization officials authorized payments to Cohen totalling $420,000 to cover his initial $130,000 payment, tax obligations, and bonus, according to court documents in Cohen's own federal prosecution. In its own accounts, The Trump Organization listed the reimbursements as a legal expense. Trump has said that he was unaware of the payment.