After avoiding indictment for years, former President Donald J. Trump seems closer than ever to facing criminal charges in Manhattan (NY).
Recently, the Manhattan district attorney signaled to Trump’s lawyers that the former president could face criminal charges for allegedly paying off a porn star. This could be the first indictment Trump will have to face. There are other ongoing investigations that could also lead to criminal charges.
The Manhattan Case
Manhattan district attorneys have offered Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that is hearing evidence in the potential case. This offer almost always indicates that an indictment is near; it is uncommon for prosecutors to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.
Trump himself is expecting to be indicted. Last week, he made a statement claiming he would be arrested on Tuesday of this week, and called on his supporters to protest. However, his lawyers stated that no formal charges had been made as of then.
For the past five years, Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating allegations that Trump made illegal payments to former porn actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. They are looking into whether Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, paid her $130,000 to keep her from speaking publicly before the 2016 election about the extramarital affair she had with Trump.
Concealed cash payments are not illegal. Prosecutors are assessing whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records of the Trump Organization to facilitate the payment under the table. Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor in New York.
If the charges are formalized, Trump will be the first former U.S. president to be indicted and the first major presidential candidate under indictment to seek office.
Trump denies all allegations and has stated that he will not drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Other Investigations Against the Former President
The New York State Civil Case
New York Attorney General Letitia James is accusing Trump in a lawsuit filed last September of lying to creditors and insurers, fraudulently inflating his assets by billions of dollars.
James is trying to prevent Trump and his children, Donald Jr. and Eric, and his eldest daughter, Ivanka, from running any business in New York again. She has successfully requested that a judge appoint an independent monitor to oversee the financial statements of the Trump Organizations.
Georgia Criminal Inquiry
Trump is also under investigation in Georgia, where a special grand jury recently concluded its investigations into whether the former president and his allies criminally interfered in the 2020 presidential elections. For now, the grand jury’s final report remains secret.
Confidential Government Documents
A special counsel, Jack Smith, appointed by the Department of Justice, is conducting a criminal investigation into the handling of confidential government documents after Trump left the presidency.
For more than a year, Trump has repeatedly resisted federal government efforts—including a subpoena—to return confidential documents still in his possession.
Last August, responding to a court-approved search warrant, the F.B.I. searched Trump’s residence, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, and discovered about 100 confidential documents.
January 6
A House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol spent a year and a half examining the role that Trump and his allies played in trying to maintain power after the electoral defeat in November 2020.
In December, the committee issued an 845-page report concluding that Trump and some of his associates had devised “a multi-part plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election” and detailing the events that led to the Capitol attack.
The panel also accused Trump of inciting insurrection and conspiracy to defraud the United States, among other federal crimes, and referred the former president and some of his allies to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution.
The referrals were largely symbolic but sent a powerful signal that a bipartisan congressional committee believed the former president had committed crimes.
Source: The New York Times