Former President Donald Trump will make history in 2023 by becoming the first U.S. president to be indicted. Here’s a quick recap of his legal troubles.
Now the front-runner for the 2024 Republican primary, Trump faces two separate indictments as of Friday, and is awaiting two other potential indictments related to his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Manhattan: Falsification of business records (indictment)
In late March, a New York grand jury indicted President Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with the alleged payment of $130,000 by former attorney Michael Cohen to former video prostitute Stormy Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is investigating whether Cohen paid Daniels to keep quiet about his alleged affair with Trump, who denies having an affair.
Trump appeared in court in Manhattan on April 4 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.truth is social director On the eve of his appearance in court, Trump called the charges “the highest level of political persecution and election interference in history.”
“Oh! District Attorney Bragg just illegally leaked various points and complete information about the pathetic indictment against me,” President Trump said. I have written. “I know the reporter, and unfortunately so does he. This means he must be indicted immediately. Now, if he really wants to clear his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and indict himself as a district attorney. He will go down in judicial history and his Trump-hating wife will be very proud of him!”
Federal Government: Mishandling Classified Documents, Conspiring to Obstruct Justice (Indicted)
Trump’s second indictment was dropped on June 8, after Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted him on 37 counts for storing more than 300 classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The indictment charges Trump with 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, which carries a maximum sentence of imprisonment. Sentence 10 years. (Related article: President Trump says he was actually indicted on Social Post)
of prosecution It also charges Trump with willful retention of national security information and “conspiracy to obstruct justice.” His one case of “holding of documents or records.” He has one count of “wrongfully concealing a document or record.” One charge of “covering documents in postponement of investigation”. One of the “cover-up plans”. And one case of “false statements and representations.”
The FBI raided Trump’s home in August 2022 after he refused to comply with a request from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to retain classified documents. Investigators at the scene recovered about 20 boxes of binders, handwritten notes and administrative grants for pardoning Roger Stone, information on the President of France, and binders of photographs.
In a statement on August 12, President Trump claimed that all documents were declassified and kept safe. He has repeatedly said that the Presidential Records Act gives the president the power to declassify documents. This claim was widely disputed.
Judge Eileen Cannon, who is overseeing the paperwork, has set the trial to begin May 20, 2024 in the Fort Pierce, Florida district. filing Friday.
Federal Government: Collusion to Overturn 2020 Elections (Targeted Letter Delivery)
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, President Trump announced that Smith had sent a “targeted letter” regarding his investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Individuals receiving these types of letters may face imminent prosecution.
According to ABC News, citing anonymous sources, the three statutes cited in the targeted letter “include conspiracy to attack or deceive the United States; civil rights conspiracy; falsification of witnesses, victims, and informants.”
Fulton County: Georgia Trying to Overturn 2020 Election (Under Investigation)
He is currently facing three indictments and is being investigated for the fourth time over whether he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 Georgia presidential election. The investigation involves Trump allegedly calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger to “find” the 11,780 votes needed to defeat Biden in the state.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanny Willis launched an investigation in February 2021, and after seven months of review, the special grand jury issued a report recommending possible indictment in January 2023. Willis announced in April that the report could lead to prosecution by the summer.
President Trump tried to invalidate the special grand jury report, but the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously invalidated the former president’s move in a ruling Monday.
Civil Litigation: Net Worth Inflation (Ongoing)
In September 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, his three children, and a team of Trump Organization executives. The lawsuit against Trump’s daughter Ivanka was later dropped.
James Blame The defendants are seeking $250 million in damages and a ban on Trump and other defendants from doing business in New York, alleging that they inflated Trump’s connections to secure loans.
The trial is scheduled to begin on October 2, 2023.
Civil Lawsuit: Defamation and Rape (Judged)
In May, a jury found Trump guilty of defamation and sexual assault charges in a rape and defamation lawsuit filed by former Elle Magazine columnist E. Gene Carroll. The jury did not find Trump responsible for the rape and ordered Carroll to pay $5 million in damages.
Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996. She sued Trump after he denied ever meeting her and called her accusations “hoaxed and false.”
Trump’s lawyers filed a miscarriage of justice in May, which was dismissed by Judge Louis Kaplan. After the jury verdict, the former president filed a defamation countersuit on June 28 after Carroll reiterated that Trump raped her. Carroll further strengthened the rape accusation.
The former president and his lawyers sought to dismiss the lawsuit, which Kaplan refused in a June 30 decision. Kaplan also denied Trump’s request for a new trial in Wednesday’s ruling.
