Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, on Thursday was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan on charges related to payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The payments were purportedly made to silence allegations of an extramarital affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
This is a historic development in U.S. politics, as it marks the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges.
Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, confirmed the indictment along with other sources who were not authorized to discuss the sealed criminal charges.
The charges themselves remain unknown, but they are expected to be announced soon.
However, two CNN sources familiar with the case claim that Trump “faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.”
President Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, calling the indictment an “attack” on the United States.
“These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President,” Trump wrote.
“THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. IT IS LIKEWISE A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. THE USA IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION, A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!”
Trump is expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to an anonymous source with The Associated Press. Multiple sources tell CNN Trump is expected to appear in court Tuesday for his arraignment.
Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, brought the charges against Trump after two previous sets of prosecutors declined to seek his indictment.
Bragg’s decision is expected to energize Trump’s critics and supporters alike.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) responded to the news in a Truth Social post, characterizing Bragg’s move as an “injustice” that has “irreparably damaged our country.”
“Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election,” McCarthy wrote. “As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.”
“The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account,” he added.
While Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and labeled the investigation as politically motivated, Bragg’s decision to press charges is a significant development that could shape the future of American politics.
This indictment is one of several legal challenges Trump is facing as he seeks to maintain his position of influence within the Republican Party and avoid opposition in the upcoming presidential nomination.
In an earlier post, Trump attached a formal statement in which he accused the Democratic Party of political persecution and election interference “at the highest level in history.”
The former president alleged that since he announced his candidacy in 2015, the Democratic Party has been engaged in a “witch-hunt” against him and his supporters, aimed at destroying the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
In the statement, Trump cited several specific instances he believes were part of the “witch-hunt,” including the Russia investigation, the Mueller report, the Ukraine scandal, and both impeachment proceedings against him.
He also referred to a recent indictment of an unnamed person, which he claims is an act of blatant election interference.
Trump criticized DA Bragg, who was recently elected with the backing of progressive billionaire George Soros.
He claimed that Bragg is ignoring crime in New York City and instead pursuing a political agenda against him.
“Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work,” Trump said.
He also expressed his belief that the American people will see through what he called the “witch-hunt” and that the Democratic Party will be defeated in the next election.
“I believe this witch-hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” he said.
“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!”
Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, as well as the controversy surrounding classified documents storage at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, are also under investigation by a U.S. Justice Department special counsel.
The outcome of the trial is likely to have a significant impact on Trump’s political career and the Republican Party as a whole.
Although, the timing of the indictment “coincides with the end-of-quarter fundraising rush,” The New York Times points out, meaning Republicans can “expect the news to boost the Trump campaign’s financial bottom line during what would already be one of the busiest times for online donations.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared Thursday evening that his state would not cooperate with any extradition request to send Trump to New York.
Gov. DeSantis criticized the indictment as what he called the “weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda.”
“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent,” he tweeted.
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD), which consists of about 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees, ordered every member of the force to report in full uniform on Friday, according to a report from The Hill.
A spokesperson for the department said that “All uniformed members of the New York City Police Department are to show up in uniform as of 0700 hours on 03-31-2023 as a precautionary measure.”
Conservative figurehead Charlie Kirk speculated on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that the indictment signifies a “designed campaign” carried out by the political left in order to “make [the right wing] act uncharacteristic.”
“They need right-wing violence to justify the next phase of their takeover of the country,” he said. “It’s almost as if they want you to reach a breaking point.”
