About the former president of the United States About Donald Trump became on Tuesday the first current or former president in the country’s history to face criminal charges.
A total of 34 charges were read to Trump at the courthouse in New York. Trump denied each of these.
In this story, read the answers to the most important questions about the legal case shaking the United States.
1. What is Trump accused of?
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accusing Trump of gross falsification of corporate information.
The matter goes back to Trump’s alleged secret relationship with an adult entertainment actor by Stephanie Cliffordwith her stage name Stormy Daniels, in 2006. Before the 2016 presidential election, Trump, through his then-lawyer, paid Clifford $130,000 to keep quiet about their relationship.
The payment to Clifford was not in itself criminal, but Trump is accused of falsifying accounting records at his company by marking the payment as a legal expense.
According to the prosecutor, before the election, Trump also paid another woman with 150,000 dollars to keep quiet about the old secret relationship. News channel NBC (you switch to another service) according to information, the woman in question is a former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
In addition, according to the indictment, the former Trump Tower doorman was also paid $30,000 to keep quiet, when the doorman planned to sell the story that Trump had a child born out of wedlock. The doorman’s story was later found to be false.
In the cases of McDougal and the doorman, the media company American Media Inc acted as an intermediary. CEO of a company that publishes sensational magazines and a good friend of Trump David Pecker had agreed in 2015 to try to prevent the publication of negative news about Trump before the presidential election.
Only in the case of paying Clifford to keep quiet will Trump be charged with a crime. However, according to the prosecutor, many of the same type of payments show how Trump withheld information from voters before the 2016 election.
2. Can Trump go to jail?
Oh, but it’s not the most likely option.
The maximum penalty for the charges against Trump is four years in prison. However, according to many legal scholars, a significantly lighter punishment is a more common sentence than charges.
Judge Juan Merchan said that Trump’s trial will possibly begin in January 2024. The jury will therefore probably not decide Trump’s guilt until next year.
3. Will the indictment prevent Trump’s presidential candidacy?
No. On Tuesday, Trump was allowed to go back home immediately after the charges were read.
The judge released Trump to speak freely about the lawsuit, and did not impose restrictions on Trump’s movement.
Trump is running for president again, and he can now continue campaigning as usual.
In the short term, Trump has even benefited from the accusation. His support in Republican primary polls has been on the rise recently. His campaign’s fundraising has also clearly picked up.
If Trump were found guilty before the November 2024 presidential election, Trump could still continue to be a candidate. The charges are not so serious that they would prevent running for president.
In theory, Trump could even be sentenced to life in prison and still be voted the country’s next president.
However, yesterday’s charges are not Trump’s only legal woes. More serious charges may be brought against Trump for things like secret documents found in his home, his attempt to pressure the Georgia secretary of state to overturn the state’s election result after the 2020 election, and his involvement in the attack on the Capitol in Epiphany 2021.
4. How does Trump comment on the charges?
Trump has long claimed the charges are a political manhunt. Trump gave a speech from his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening local time.
According to him, the charges are election harassment and part of District Attorney Bragg’s campaigning. According to him, nothing illegal has been done and the lawsuit has no basis.
Trump said he “can’t believe this is happening in the United States.”
– The only crime I have committed is defending our country against those who are trying to destroy it. This is an insult to our country, Trump said in his speech.
In his Tuesday evening speech, Trump also accused others investigating his actions of political motives.
– This is unprecedented massive election interference, Trump said.
However, most of Trump’s approximately 25-minute speech did not deal with lawsuits but, as is traditional for him, with his political opponents and critics barking.
5. Did Trump’s indictments spark protests?
Not exactly.
Both Trump’s supporters and opponents had gathered in New York in front of the courthouse on Tuesday, but violent clashes were avoided. In New York, the police were on high alert, and the protesters were kept apart.
There were no reports of major protests from other parts of the United States either.
However, after the charges were read, Judge Merchan warned Trump about his social media use. The judge urged Trump to refrain from messages that could incite unrest.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters