Donald Trump — In a Manhattan grand jury indictment, Donald Trump is indicted with more than 30 charges of corporate fraud, according to two sources.
The indictment marks the first time in American history that a current or past president has been charged with a crime.
Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
The indictment was filed under secrecy and will be released soon, but no charges have been released.
Investigations
The District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan was looking into Donald Trump’s possible involvement in a hush money payment scheme and protection involving adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The adultery scandal broke almost a decade ago, but the hush money claims broke just before the 2016 presidential election.
Although grand jury proceedings are private, a source alleges that a witness spoke with the grand jury for more than 30 minutes before deciding to indict Trump.
The decision
With this decision, the American political system will undoubtedly alter and enter unknown territory.
The fact that a previous leader faces criminal charges while running for president for the second time is unprecedented.
Notwithstanding this, Donald Trump issued a statement following the indictment in which he alleged political persecution and high-level electoral intervention.
“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” said Trump.
“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!”
Getting the news
According to one insider, Trump was surprised by the grand jury’s decision to charge him.
Trump predicted an indictment, but he expected it to take several weeks.
“Is this a shock today? Hell yes,” said the anonymous source.
Meanwhile, Bragg’s office summoned Trump’s legal team.
“This evening, we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan DA’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal,” Bragg’s office said on Thursday.
“Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
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The campaign and witch hunt
Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy in 2024 received a new twist when he announced his intention to run despite criminal accusations.
Trump has often called his probes a “witch hunt.”
He has tried to persuade the public by presenting himself as a victim of Democratic prosecutors’ political investigations.
As the day for his indictment approaches, Donald Trump urged his followers to protest his arrest, repeating his call to action in the 2020 election, when he swore retribution for his failure.
He has long dodged legal consequences for his personal, professional, and political acts, settling numerous private civil cases and making payments to get out of Trump Organization issues.
As president, he was impeached twice by the Democratic-led House but was not convicted by the Senate.
Despite the fact that he has not been indicted, the Trump Organization was charged with multiple tax fraud offenses in December.
Trump loyalists and Republicans alike pressured the Manhattan district attorney’s office for the indictment in 2024.
“I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” said former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday.
“It appears to millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution that’s driven by a prosecutor who literally ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president.”
GOP comes to Trump’s defense
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has promised to look into the incident.
Republicans in Congress, on the other hand, rushed to Trump’s support, accused Bragg of waging a political witch hunt on Twitter.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan slammed the charges and requested that Bragg come before Congress about the probe.
Senator Ted Cruz called the indictment “completely unprecedented,” claiming that it further militarizes the justice system.
On the other side, one Republican trusted in the judicial system.
“I believe in the rule of law,” stated Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon.
“I think we have checks and balances and I trust the system.”
“We have a judge. We have jurors. There is appeals. So I think in the end, justice will be done.”
“If he’s guilty, it will show up. But if not, I think that will be shown too.”
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