Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, is the first former US president to face criminal charges. He has been charged in four cases. and has denied wrongdoing in each of them. Even if Trump were convicted, he could still run for president. Here’s the latest on each of Trump’s four criminal cases.
Business records falsification case
The Manhattan district attorney accused Trump of falsifying business records in connection with hush payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
What to know
The case is now scheduled for trial on April 15. It was originally scheduled to begin on March 25, but the judge in the case granted prosecutors’ request for a 30-day delay to give Trump’s legal team time to review a new cache. of additional documents.
Because it is important
The case will mark the first criminal trial against a former US president. Trump may also have clinched the 2024 Republican presidential nomination early in the process. A conviction would not prevent him from running or holding office.
The bottom
Daniels was paid $130,000 on the eve of the 2016 election to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she said they had years before. Trump denies the matter, but admitted to repaying payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges that Trump misclassified the reimbursement payments as legal expenses when they were actually campaign expenses. He read more about the charges in the New York case.
Classified documents case
Federal prosecutors accused Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents from his presidency and conspiring with his advisers to cover up his actions.
What to know
On March 14, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon denied Trump’s request to dismiss the case on constitutional grounds, rejecting his claims that the Espionage Act was unfairly vague when used against a former president.
Because it is important
Trump is accused of dozens of violations of national security laws that the Justice Department says endangered some of the country’s best-kept secrets. With the additional charges, prosecutors are painting a more detailed picture of a cover-up by showing how Trump and his advisers allegedly attempted to destroy evidence in the case.
The bottom
A federal grand jury initially indicted Trump in June on 37 counts, including intentional withholding of national defense secrets, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. An additional set of charges, filed on July 27, said Trump and an aide, Carlos De Oliveira, attempted to delete security footage from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property to prevent investigators from viewing it. Trump now faces a total of 40 federal charges. Another aide, Walt Nauta, was also charged in June with helping Trump. The trial is scheduled to begin in May 2024,
Federal election case of January 6
Federal prosecutors have accused Trump of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He is accused of spreading claims about voter fraud that he knew were false and then pressuring local, state and federal officials to block Joe Biden’s victory. Biden.
What to know
The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on April 25 on Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election while he was president. The justices are likely to issue a decision before the court’s term ends in late June or early July, potentially pushing Trump’s trial into the depths of the presidential election season. Two lower courts rejected Trump’s immunity claim. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all four counts of the impeachment.
Because it is important
The charges in the indictment are among the most serious that can be brought against a former president of the United States. The indictment accuses Trump of attempting to sabotage the peaceful transfer of power, one of the foundations of American democracy.
The bottom
Jack Smith was appointed in November 2022 as special prosecutor to handle the investigation. Investigators examined the Trump campaign’s attempts to raise money from false allegations of voter fraud and plans to create “fake electors” who could hand the election to Trump. The indictment lists six accomplices, but none of them have been charged. Read more about the government’s case against Trump.
Georgia election interference case
The Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney charged Trump and 18 others in August in connection with their attempts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in the state.
What to know
Trump faces 10 charges, including violating the state’s racketeering law and conspiracy to file false documents. He initially faced 13 charges, but a judge dismissed three of the charges against him in March. Four of his co-defendants have pleaded guilty to illegally conspiring to overturn his defeat and could testify if other defendants go to trial.
Trump and his co-defendants sought to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) from the case, arguing that she had an inappropriate relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor he appointed to lead the investigation. On March 15, Wade resigned after an ultimatum from the judge, who said Willis could proceed with the prosecution only if he stepped aside.
Why the case matters
This is the most sweeping allegation brought against Trump regarding the 2020 election. Willis used Georgia’s powerful racketeering law, originally created to crack down on organized crime, to charge not only Trump but a network of allies. who supposedly tried to help him.
The bottom
Willis launched the investigation more than two years ago after audio was leaked of a January 2021 phone call in which Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” the votes to reverse his loss and threatened vague criminal consequences if he refused. Read more about how Trump tried to reverse his election loss.
