Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted
A US court has indicted former President Donald Trump on charges of bribing porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her mouth shut. He became the first US president to face criminal charges.
A New York grand jury has voted to indict former President Donald Trump after investigating allegations he paid porn star Stormy Daniels “hush money” during the 2016 campaign. .
With this court decision, 76-year-old Trump has become the first former US president to face criminal charges.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that he had contacted Trump’s lawyer to help him surrender.
“They will be given guidance in this regard after fixing the date of sentencing,” the statement said.
Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth on March 18 that he would be arrested within a few days. But they were not arrested. In this statement, he also asked the citizens to protest against the arrest, but even then there was no mass protest. However, preparations were made in New York for possible protests
What do we know about the indictment?
It is not yet clear what the nature of the indictment against Trump is, but his lawyer, Joe Taco-Peña, told the Associated Press news agency that the charges stem from a scandal during the 2016 presidential election campaign. For is in relation to ‘hush money’.
Daniels allegedly received $130,000 before the election in exchange for keeping quiet about her sexual relationship with Trump a decade ago.
Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has previously told Congress that he paid Daniels on Trump’s behalf. A New York grand jury also questioned Cohen in the case.
It is not illegal in New York to pay ‘hush money’, or to keep quiet, but Trump is accused of concealing the payment and altering his organization’s financial records.
Trump denies the allegations.
A judge will make a sentencing decision in the case in the next few days
The impeachment is election interference, Trump
Trump strongly condemned the indictment in a statement, calling it “the highest level of political vendetta and election interference in history.”
Trump also criticized Manhattan District Attorney Bragg. He said Bragg was “doing Joe Biden’s dirty work.”
The former president said, “I’m sure the effort to upset me will backfire on Joe Biden. His tactic will fail. The American people will find out what the radical left Democrats have been up to. Every One can see.”
Trump has been indicted at a time when he is running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. He indicated Thursday that he wants to stay in the race.
Michaela Knoffer, a DW correspondent in Washington, called the indictment a “political earthquake.”
“This is a political earthquake. It will either help or hinder Trump’s bid for the presidency,” he said. He added that most Republican politicians are supporting Trump.
what will happen now?
Legally, Trump will have to surrender himself to the law, after which his photograph, mug shot and fingerprints will be taken. Trump could also be handcuffed, but the chances of that happening are slim.
If Trump does not turn himself in to the law, then New York will have to request the Florida government to extradite Trump to the New York administration. Trump is currently in Florida.
Interestingly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently running against Trump in the race to become the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. He has said in a tweet that if Trump’s extradition is requested from Florida, he will not act on it.
Donald Trump is facing several other cases. These include charges of trying to change President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, inciting the attack on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 6, 2021, and keeping classified documents at his home.