Former US President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan on Thursday over 30 charges related to his personal, political, and business dealings.
Overview
The specific details of the charges remain unclear as the indictment is sealed. However, they are known to be related to payments amounting to $130,000, made by Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
The payments were given to adult film star Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of Trump’s extramarital affair with her. However, Trump’s business records were reportedly falsified to show this payment as a reimbursement to Cohen as legal fees.
The former US president is also likely to defend against accusations of him and his allies illegally seizing confidential documents after losing the 2020 Presidential elections.
Trump to Surrender by Tuesday
My official statement regarding the deranged indictment of President Donald J. Trump.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) March 31, 2023
I will use every leverage I have to defund
every single federal dollar from this prosecuting office. pic.twitter.com/FGX2r3fKIt
Trump is the first former US president to be indicted before a court.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s spokesperson confirmed the indictment. However, authorities have not clarified whether he is facing prison time.
They said they would work to ensure Trump’s surrender, which will likely happen by Tuesday next week. The office’s spokesperson further clarified that while Trump was scheduled to surrender on Friday, the Secret Service said it required additional time to make security preparations inside and outside the courthouse.
Meanwhile, Trump’s defence lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said that the former US president had not committed any crime and vowed to combat the politically motivated charges in the courts.
Trump’s Bid to Rerun for Election
This indictment is a significant blow to Trump’s intention to run for president in the 2024 elections, given that he is also facing charges in Washington and Atlanta. While the latter charges relate to crimes allegedly committed after he took over as president, the Manhattan charges pertain to those before his tenure.
My statement on the indictment of former President Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/jg6a81DZqH
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) March 30, 2023
However, in the current politically charged environment in the US, these charges are likely to strengthen the support for Trump, who has long argued that they are politically motivated. He called the indictment a “political persecution” and believes it will impact the support for Democrats in 2024.
Responding to the indictment, Trump warned that the “Witch-Hunt” would “massively backfire on Joe Biden.”
He released a statement saying, “The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So, our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Earlier this month, Trump released a statement confirming his indictment and called for protests. While he did not reiterate this call in Thursday’s address, the New York Police Department has deployed 36,000 officers to ensure security amid potential unrest.