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Donald Trump — According to two sources, Donald Trump is charged with more than 30 counts of business fraud in a Manhattan grand jury indictment.
The indictment is the first time a current or former president has been charged with a felony in American history.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump is due to appear in court.
The indictment was filed under secrecy and will be made public soon, but no charges have been revealed to the public.
Investigations
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was investigating Donald Trump’s probable participation in a hush money payment scheme and protection of adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The infidelity issue first surfaced about a decade ago, but the hush money allegations surfaced right before the 2016 presidential election.
Although grand jury hearings are confidential, a source claims that a witness talked with the grand jury for more than 30 minutes before the grand jury decided to indict Trump.
The decision
The American political system will surely change and enter unexplored terrain as a result of this decision.
It is rare for a past leader to face criminal charges while campaigning for president for the second time.
Notwithstanding this, following the indictment, Donald Trump delivered a statement in which he claimed political persecution and high-level election interference.
“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 source, Trump was taken aback by the grand jury’s decision to indict him.
Trump anticipated an indictment, but it would take many 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 ambition in 2024 took a fresh turn when he stated his determination to run despite criminal charges.
Trump has regularly referred to his investigations as a “witch hunt.”
He has attempted to convince the people by portraying himself as a victim of Democratic prosecutors’ political probes.
As his indictment date approaches, Donald Trump urged his supporters to protest his detention, echoing his call to action in the 2020 election, when he vowed retaliation for his failure.
He has long avoided legal ramifications for his personal, business, and political actions, resolving countless private civil claims and paying payments to avoid Trump Organization problems.
He was impeached twice as president by the Democratic-led House but was not convicted by the Senate.
Despite the fact that he has not been prosecuted, the Trump Organization was penalized in December with several tax fraud crimes.
Trump supporters and Republicans alike lobbied the Manhattan district attorney’s office to arrest Trump 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
Kevin McCarthy, the House Speaker, has committed to investigate the event.
Republicans in Congress, on the other hand, rushed to Trump’s defense, accusing Bragg on Twitter of conducting a political witch hunt.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan condemned the claims and demanded that Bragg testify before Congress regarding the investigation.
Senator Ted Cruz described the indictment as “completely unprecedented,” alleging that it militarizes the legal system even more.
One Republican, on the other hand, had faith in the legal 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.”
