Former President Donald Trump was criminally indicted on Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury. While the exact charges are not yet known, they reportedly relate to the payment of hush money to a former porn star.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday evening that it had reached out to Trump’s team to discuss an arraignment date. Trump called the indictment “political persecution” in a statement, attacking Bragg as a “disgrace” and predicting the decision would hurt Democrats in the 2024 election.
The indictment, which remains under seal, marks the first time in American history that a former President has been criminally charged, and sets up a stunning legal and political test for the nation as Trump once again seeks the presidency.
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Here are the latest updates on the indictment.
Catch up on the case
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Donald Trump Has Been Indicted. Here’s What Happens Next in the Process
Donald Trump Was Just Indicted. Here’s What to Know About the Charges and the Case
Donald Trump Is the First President Ever Criminally Charged. Others Have Come Close Though
Here’s how Trump is responding
Trump is claiming that the prosecution against him is politically motivated in order to hurt his candidacy for President in 2024.
Trump responded to the grand jury’s vote to indict him Thursday in a statement: “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats – the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country – have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.”
His statement further claimed Bragg had indicted “a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.”
He also wrote on his social media site Truth Social that the indictment is “an attack on our country” and an attack on “free and fair elections.”
“These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED [sic] the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s responses did not mention his public and well-documented efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.
Here’s what happens next
Next, Trump will be arraigned in front of a magistrate judge, which usually happens at the courthouse in lower Manhattan. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has contacted Trump’s legal team to negotiate when he will surrender himself.
“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal,” a spokesperson for Bragg said in a statement. “Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
At the initial hearing and arraignment, Trump will be told the charges against him, his rights, and have a chance to name his own lawyer to represent him, or use a court-appointed attorney.
Once he is arraigned, the judge will decide if he is a flight risk or presents a danger, or if he can be released until the trial. This sets in motion the legal process. At a later date, Trump will have a chance to plead guilty or not guilty to the charges. If Trump pleads not guilty, the court will hear pre-trial motions, and court dates will be set for discovery and a trial to begin.
If the preliminary proceedings take as long as other similar cases, the trial may not start until well into 2024, in the heat of the presidential election cycle.
When could we know the charges?
Likely soon.
Trump’s indictment is currently under seal and not yet public. Usually the charges against a defendant are made public at the arraignment or slightly before.
Once the indictment is made public, the country will be able to see exactly what charges Trump faces and a summary of some of the evidence Bragg says has been gathered to back up the charges.
from TIME https://ift.tt/gaURt7L
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